The top diplomats of South Korea and Canada held phone talks Friday to discuss joint responses to the new coronavirus and other bilateral cooperation issues, the foreign ministry said.

During the talks, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Canadian counterpart, Francois-Philippe Champagne, shared the view that the two countries, as "like-minded" ones, should closely cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said.

The ministers also noted progress since the two countries' free trade agreement took effect in 2015, voicing expectations that South Korean and Canadian companies will strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence and other areas of the fourth industrial revolution.

Kang used the talks to ask for Canada's support for South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's campaign for the director-generalship of the World Trade Organization.

Kang also expressed gratitude to Canada for its backing of Seoul's efforts to foster lasting peace on the divided Korean Peninsula. Champagne reiterated Canada's continued support for the efforts, the ministry said. (Yonhap)