1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Sei-young participated in the 6th multilateral teleconference among the vice foreign ministers of 7 countries in the region on the morning of April 24.

° The teleconference among the vice foreign ministers of 7 countries in the region -- the Republic of Korea, the United States, Japan, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of India, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam -- has taken place on a weekly basis following the first meeting on March 20.

2. In the teleconference, the vice foreign ministers explained the developments in the spread of COVID-19 and response measures in their respective countries and extensively exchanged views on ways to smoothly carry out diplomatic activities as well as the significance of maintaining the global supply chains and the transparent disclosure of information even amid the COVID-19 situation.

3. Vice Minister Cho explained that the number of daily confirmed new cases has recently reduced to about 10 in the ROK, but the country has not loosened its vigilance and has been implementing an extended social distancing campaign with the aim to shift to a “routine prevention measures (distancing in everyday life)” campaign on May 5.

° The Vice Minister added that, in line with the principle of transparency, the ROK government has cooperated actively with the international community, including by sharing its experiences and clinical data regarding COVID-19 through web seminars, telephone and video conferences, and the disclosure of information through the Internet, among others.

° The Vice Minister voiced hope that as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant government agencies of the ROK had recently formed a task force for international cooperation on disease control in a bid to pursue such international cooperation more systematically, the ROK would work more closely with other countries and contribute to the efforts of the international community to effectively respond to COVID-19.