HONG KONG, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Center for Food Safety announced Monday that the processing of applications for importing poultry and poultry products from the Republic of Korea would be suspended with immediate effect.

"The decision was taken following confirmation of an outbreak of avian influenza H5N1 in a poultry farm there," a spokesman for the center said.

"We will seek further information about the case from the relevant authorities," he said.

Hong Kong imported some 900 tons of frozen poultry meat/offal from ROK from January to August this year.