The defense chiefs of South Korea and Canada held phone talks Wednesday and vowed to cooperate against the new coronavirus and boost broader defense ties, the defense ministry said.

During the conversation with his Canadian counterpart Harjit Sajjan, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo shared South Korea's response to COVID-19 and how the military has been playing a role in preventing the spread of the virus, the ministry said.

Sajjan praised South Korea for setting a model for the world by successfully responding to the virus, and expressed gratitude for sharing related information with Canada, according to the ministry.

Jeong also expressed thanks to Sajjan over Canadian veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict.

"The two ministers ... vowed to mutually work for further vitalization of defense cooperation between the two countries, including a joint response against the COVID-19 situation," the ministry said in a release. (Yonhap)