Video

[Anchor]

There is a bug that causes painful, burn-like inflammation when it comes into contact with the skin. Known as the "Paederus beetle" (or "hwasang-beolle"), it tends to appear frequently during the summer season like now, so caution is required.

Here is a report from Beijing correspondent Choi Go-un.

[Reporter]

These are my arms, legs, and face.

Band-like red rashes along with blisters have formed, and they sting.

This is inflammation caused by casually swatting away a rove beetle, commonly known as a Paederus beetle, that entered the house.

I am not the only one.

This Chinese woman encountered a Paederus beetle while taking a walk,

[Female Victim of Paederus Beetle: It suddenly flew into my eye, and I instinctively swatted it away. There were no symptoms until the evening, but when I woke up in the morning, my eye was swollen and turned red.]

Another man learned the cause only several days after blisters appeared.

[Male Victim of Paederus Beetle: The white part is pus. It's a trace left by the substance secreted by the Paederus beetle. There are an enormous number of Paederus beetles because it's summer.]

Belonging to the beetle family, the Paederus beetle is a small insect about 7 millimeters in length and is distributed nationwide in South Korea as well.

They are actively active in the summer and have a habit of flying toward light.

They are beneficial insects that prey on pests and do not bite humans, but problems arise when they come into contact with the skin.

This is because they contain a chemical substance called pederin, and if mindlessly touched or crushed, they secrete this substance from their pronotum.

There are no symptoms at first, but about 12 hours later, skin redness appears, leading to "Paederus dermatitis," which burns or itches as if burned by fire.

During the Saemangeum Jamboree in 2023, Paederus beetles swarmed, generating hundreds of patients a day.

[Wang Jing / Vice President, Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University: The substance secreted by the Paederus beetle is a strong acid with a pH of 1 to 2. That is why the skin gets damaged and corroded.]

To avoid infection, whether the Paederus beetle is alive or dead, one should not touch it directly or crush it with bare hands, and must wash the contacted area with soap.

If it clings to the body, it is best to blow it off with your mouth or gently remove it by having it crawl onto tissue paper or regular paper, and seek medical treatment if symptoms are severe.

(Camera Footage: Choi Deok-hyun | Video Editing: Chae Chul-ho)