France asked South Korea on Monday to share its knowhow related to containing the novel coronavirus, Seoul's transport ministry said, as both countries are striving to stop the spread of the highly contagious disease.

French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari made the request during a phone conversation with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Hyun-mee, and the two sides agreed to maintain active communication in their fight against COVID-19, according to Kim's office.

The French minister highly praised Seoul's fight against

COVID-19 as an exemplary model for the world and asked for sharing of the knowhow it has accumulated in containing the spread of the virus, in particular, in the transportation sector, Kim's said.

Kim explained that South Korea has neither restricted movement within the country nor blocked public transportation altogether but people's active cooperation in heeding the government's call for social distancing has contributed a lot to stemming the spread of the virus.

She also emphasized that the public is strictly following government guidelines to voluntarily wear masks, avoid outdoor activities and maintain personal hygiene, according to her office.

South Korea has reported more than 10,000 coronavirus infections since January but the number of new cases appears to be waning in recent weeks, with fewer than 50 cases reported on Monday.

France is struggling to contain the virus as it has confirmed around 93,000 COVID-19 infections with over 8,000 people dying due to the pneumonia-like disease, according to media reports. (Yonhap)