Thousands of couples get married in mass wedding ceremony in South Korea braving coronavirus fears

Thousands of couples tied the knot in a mass Unification Church wedding despite growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea.

Some couples were seen in facemasks while tieing the knot. South Korea has recorded 24 cases of the novel coronavirus outbreak that emerged in neighbouring China.

The church founded by Sun Myung Moon went ahead with the event because it had been "four years in the making" as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founder's birth.

Festivals, graduation ceremonies, and K-pop concerts have been cancelled over fears large events could facilitate virus transmission, and authorities have asked religious groups to co-operate in preventing it spreading.

Mass weddings, often held in giant sports stadiums with tens of thousands of couples, have long been a signature feature of the church
 

Nearly 6,000 identical-dressed couples from 64 countries - many of whom met for the first time in recent weeks - married in Gapyeong.
 

The teachings of the Unification Church are based on the Bible but with new interpretations. While it claims a worldwide following of three million, experts suggest the core membership is far smaller.