Three Ebola-hit West African countries have informed South Korea they will not attend an upcoming conference of International Telecommunications Union (ITU) members, Seoul's tech ministry said Saturday, amid concerns about the spread of the deadly virus.



Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have informed the Seoul government that they will not send their delegates to the ITU gathering that will kick off Monday for a three-week run in Busan, South Korea's largest port city, according to the ICT ministry.



"Ranking officials from the three affected countries said that they will not send delegates to the upcoming conference," the ministry said," As a host country, it is regrettable that they will not join the meeting, but we respect their decision."



The move came as the United Nations has been appealing for the international community to further support the efforts to contain the deadly epidemic, which is estimated to have killed about 4,500 people.



The South Korean government has been making efforts to prevent an outbreak of Ebola at the international gathering, asking the three disease-stricken African countries to minimize their participation in the event, or instead send officials from nearby diplomatic missions.



The three nations' decision came as Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the ITU, said Saturday that he supports the latest quarantine measures rolled out by South Korea ahead of the ITU gathering as they will benefit all participants.



"As secretary-general of the ITU, I would also be happy to convey any appeal from the South Korean administration to the Ebola-affected countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to address this issue in accordance with the U.N. guidelines and to take the necessary measures to assure the safety and health of all conference participants and host country citizens," Toure said.



South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won ordered Friday the foreign ministry to ask the affected countries to refrain from attending the ITU meeting in a way that seeks cooperation and understanding without sparking diplomatic problems.



Seoul has been beefing up quarantine measures and bracing for a possible occurrence of the disease in the run-up to the ITU conference.



An official at the health ministry earlier called on all delegates for their full understanding and cooperation, knowing that any special measures that the Korean authorities may introduce will be done so to protect and benefit all of the participants.



"All countries should be prepared to detect, investigate and manage suspected Ebola cases, including access to a qualified diagnostic laboratory for the Ebola virus that has the capacity to identify and care for travelers originating from known Ebola-infected areas who arrive at international airports or major land crossing points with unexplained fevers and other symptoms."



The 19th International Telecommunications Union Plenipotentiary Conference, referred to as PP-14, will take place from Oct. 20 to Nov. 7, in Busan. The event is held every four years.



The ITU is an information and communications arm of the U.N. that sets technological standards, allocates radio frequencies and satellite orbits, and works to improve the quality of communication services.



