Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with her Ecuadorian counterpart Friday to discuss ways to cooperate to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, her office said.

During the talks with Ecuador's Foreign Minister Jose Valencia, Kang explained that South Korea's virus situation has improved, with fewer daily confirmed infection cases, thanks to the aggressive social distancing practices under way, but also stressed that it is too early to relax any measures.

In response, Valencia said Korea's response to fighting the virus has become an exemplar for the world and called for greater cooperation between the two countries in the medical field, including sharing Korea's experience in dealing with the virus and the purchase of Korean diagnostic kits.

Kang highlighted that the country is ready to share its experience against the virus with the international community and promised to look into Ecuador's request for support in purchasing medical supplies from Korea within the confines of not disrupting domestic demand.

In the talks, Kang also asked for the Ecuadorian government to pay keen attention and cooperate to ensure the safety of South Koreans living in the South American country. (Yonhap)