In an unprecedented move, Seoul City has canceled its annual New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony as the nation grapples with an intensifying third wave of the novel coronavirus.

The Seoul metropolitan government said on Sunday that the live event held at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul will not be held this year. Instead it will air online a pre-produced bell-ringing video to count down to 2021. 

Officials said the decision was reached as the city sought to prioritize the people's health and to prevent a further spread of the highly contagious virus. 

The live event typically attracts thousands of well-wishers to the pavilion as a group of citizens ring the iconic bell 33 times, a 67-year old tradition that launched in 1953.