Harmless or a nuisance? Lovebug outbreak in South Korea sparks heated debate

SEOUL - An outbreak of lovebugs across South Korea has sparked heated debate, pitting frustrated citizens against environmental and animal rights groups over whether the harmless insects should be exterminated.

While the swarms have disrupted daily life

in many regions, calls for chemical eradication are being met with sharp criticism from advocates who argue that exterminating them simply for convenience sets a dangerous precedent.

“Eradicating a species just because it causes discomfort, without any scientific or ecological justification, is an act of arrogance,” an animal rights activist told The Korea Herald. Activists argue against killing these organisms, especially when the creatures pose no harm to human health.

However, many citizens are calling for a full eradication.

One resident named only as Mr Choi, 30, told The Korea Herald. “What’s the definition of ‘causing harm?’ If these bugs damage property and block access to roads and public areas, doesn’t that make them pests?”

Amid the intensifying debate, misinformation and mockery against environmentalists have also begun to circulate online.

A series of viral images recently spread on social media appeared to show an animal rights activist tearfully pleading for the protection of lovebugs, holding a sign labelled Lovebug Rights Committee and condemning their eradication. In a second photo, the same activist is shown panicking and swearing when the insects land on the person’s face.

The images, however, were confirmed to be fabricated. According to AFP’s fact-checking team, the photos were generated using artificial intelligence and originally posted on an AI satire account, despite being widely misinterpreted as real.

Highlighting the increasingly polarised atmosphere, the doctored photos were used to ridicule real-life environmentalists, with mocking comments such as “take them home and protect them yourself” and “enjoy your summer with them”.

Experts and officials stress that these insects are not only harmless, but also beneficial. According to government authorities, the adult insects are known pollinators, and their larvae play a role in decomposing organic material and enriching the soil. The creatures do not bite, sting or carry disease, making them a textbook example of a beneficial insect.

Mr Choi Young, head of the Ecological City Team at the Seoul Federation for Environmental Movements, emphasised that the outbreak may reflect a broader ecological imbalance. “The lovebug outbreak is a sign that something in the ecosystem is off-balance,” he said. “If we try to eliminate the phenomenon through artificial means, we don’t know what the consequences will be.”

He also warned that local governments could end up exacerbating the problem. “Of course, it’s important for public officials to address the discomfort residents are feeling,” Mr Choi said. “But if they implement short-sighted, performative policies, it could actually cause more harm.”

He added that artificial forests and curated green spaces created by municipalities might be disrupting the natural balance, leading to repeated outbreaks.

What worries Mr Choi most is the possibility of a domino effect. “If we continue targeting and eliminating each species that appears in large numbers, what happens when the next outbreak involves a species that isn’t as harmless as the lovebug?” he asked. “There’s no guarantee the next insect will be as gentle.”

The debate has put local governments in a difficult position. During a press briefing marking his third year in office, Incheon Gyeyang district mayor Yoon Hwan said that “sometimes, the public has to learn to endure”. His statement was quickly met with public backlash.

In an attempt to navigate the growing public concern, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has coined a new term: “epidemic-level nuisance insects”. Following the March 2025 enactment of the Seoul Metropolitan Ordinance on the Management and Control Support of Mass Outbreak Insects, the city laid out an integrated management plan under this new classification.

The term was created to acknowledge that while the insects are not pests in a technical sense, they do cause substantial discomfort to residents. “They’re not harmful in the biological sense, but we recognise the inconvenience they cause,” said a city official. “This is our way of taking the discomfort seriously and committing to managing it responsibly.”

In practice, the city has focused on non-chemical responses. In partnership with fire departments, Seoul has launched water-spraying campaigns in parks and walking trails – areas with high complaint volumes.

Other projects being piloted include light traps, scented lures in places like Baekryeonsan in Eunpyeong-gu, and real-time monitoring. Notably, the city has refrained from large-scale pesticide spraying.

“We can’t resort to unproven methods or those that risk damaging the ecosystem just because people are uncomfortable,” the official said. “We are actively using all confirmed, safe methods available.”

A key challenge remains the lack of reliable research on how to effectively reduce the lovebug population.

“There is no expert in Korea or abroad who has a definitive solution,” the official added. “It would be irresponsible for the city to try untested measures that could have unknown consequences. We are listening to experts and constantly exploring additional solutions.” THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK