A survey of Fusarium wilt of perilla was conducted in 12 locations in Korea from 1999 to 2001. The disease occurred in 74 out of 187 fields in the 12 locations surveyed, and incidence of the disease reached up to 30% at its maximum in some perilla fields in Seosan and Dangjin. Incidence of the disease in the other locations ranged from 0.2 to 20%. A total of 327 isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from stems and roots of the diseased perilla plants. The isolates were identified based on their morphological characteristics. Out of the 327 isolates of Fusarium, 277 isolates from 12 locations were identified as F. oxysporum, 11 isolates from three locations as F. solani,17 isolates from two locations as F. equiseti, 4 isolates from one location as F. avenaceum and 6 isolates from one location as F. subglutinans. The other 12 isolates of Fusarium from four locations were unidentified. Twelve isolates of F. oxysporum and two isolates each of the other Fusarium spp. were tested for their pathogenicity to five cultivars of perilla. Seven isolates of F. oxysporum were strongly pathogenic to some perilla cultivars, but the other five isolates were weakly or not pathogenic. One isolate of F. solani was strongly pathogenic to all the perilla cultivars tested, but another isolate was not pathogenic. All the isolates of F. equiseti, F. avenaceum, and F. Subglutinans tested were not pathogenic to any of the perilla cultivars tested. Symptoms on the perilla plants induced by artificial inoculation with strongly pathogenic isolates of F. oxysporum and F. solani appeared as wilt, stem blight, and root yet, which were similar to those observed in the fields. The isolates which induced symptoms by artificial inoculation were re-isolated from the lesions of the perilla plants inoculated. All the isolates of F. oxysporum tested were not pathogenic to eight other crops inoculated. Results of this study reveal that F. oxysporum is the main pathogen of perilla wilt and that it is host specific to perilla. forma specialis of F. oxysporum causing wilt of perilla is proposed as perillae.