South Sudan has reportedly requested that South Korea delay the rotational deployment of a new contingent of peacekeeping troops amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

According to government sources on Thursday, the United Nations recently delivered the request to five countries, including South Korea, on behalf of the government of South Sudan.

South Korea's Defense Ministry, which had planned a rotation of the Eleventh and 12th batch of the Hanbit Unit in the African country on March 9, has postponed the rotation.

Since 2013, the Hanbit Unit has been carrying out UN peacekeeping operations in the war-torn nation.

Similar decisions may be considered for the Akh Unit in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) ahead of a June rotation and the Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon ahead of a rotation in August.