SKorean PM asks people to 'avoid crowded events'

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Saturday the spread of a new virus in the country has "entered a more serious phase".

Chung said the number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus which originated in China, were rapidly increasing in South Korea and called on people to avoid crowded events.

The number of coronavirus cases in the country has soared to 433 as of Saturday afternoon.

Of that total two people have died and there is concern the number could grow.

In mainland China more than 76,000 cases of the virus have been reported and more than 2,000 people have died.