Moscow [Russia], November 30 (ANI/Sputnik): South Korea is revising plans to host several large international events in December, including the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, due to the emergence and spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the country's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The major UN conference was scheduled for December 7-8. Another important event - the fifth Korea-Africa forum involving the African Union (AU) - was supposed to take place from December 9-10 in Seoul.

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"As the Omicron virus has been rapidly spreading, the government is reconsidering the upcoming events scheduled in December," the ministry's deputy spokesperson, Ahn Eun-ju, told a briefing, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

The ministry is negotiating with the UN authorities and AU member states, as well as local health authorities on the matter, the spokesperson added.

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The new strain Omicron is believed to have originated in Southern Africa and has already been detected in a number of countries in other regions, leading to a new wave of travel bans and other health-related restrictions worldwide.

The World Health Organization identified Omicron as a variant of concern due to the high number of mutations, including 32 mutations in spike protein, likely making it more transmissible and dangerous. (ANI/Sputnik)

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