South Korea and Britain agreed to forge closer cooperation to tackle climate change, Seoul's finance ministry said Friday.

The agreement was reached during a telephone discussion between Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and British business minister Alok Sharma earlier in the day, the ministry said in a statement.

Next year, Britain will host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference and Sharma asked Hong to step up cooperation for a successful hosting of the conference, the ministry said.

Hong and Sharma also shared information on each other's post-pandemic economic recovery plans, the ministry said.

In July, South Korea said it will invest 160 trillion won ($134 billion) by 2025 under the bold stimulus package that will create 1.9 million jobs and kick-start the coronavirus-hit economy.

Unlike conventional infrastructure projects, the deal features 28 projects that will transform the nation's fossil fuel-reliant economy into an eco-friendly one and increase state investment in artificial intelligence and fifth-generation (5G) telecommunication services. (Yonhap)