SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Farm Ministry reported onSaturday a new outbreak of bird flu at a chicken farm in thesouthwest, taking the total confirmed cases to 16 in poultryjust over two weeks.

A ministry official said test results were confirmedpositive for the H5N1 strain of the virus at a farm inJeongeup, North Jeolla province, an area which saw an outbreakearlier this month.

It was one of three new suspected cases authorities said onFriday were investigating, as the worst outbreak in four yearsspread despite massive culling.

No human deaths from the disease have been reported so farfrom the country.

Yonhap News said South Korea has culled 3.7 millionchickens and ducks out of nearly 4.8 million planned, thelargest since the country killed 5.3 million between late 2003and early 2004.

Quarantine workers and soldiers are working to completeculling in the hardest-hit North Jeolla province this weekend,the Farm Ministry official said.

South Korea had seven bird flu outbreaks between November2006 and March last year.

Some 240 human deaths have been reported globally from theH5N1 strain and 381 confirmed cases of infection since 2003,according to World Health Organisation data.

(Reporting by Rhee So-eui; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)