South Korea and China will hold a video conference this week on possible cooperation to fight the new coronavirus, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

During the talks on Friday, the two sides will share their experience combating COVID-19 and discuss ways to jointly stem the further spread of the new virus, according to the ministry.

The planned meeting comes after President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed to strengthen cooperation in their fight against the new virus in a phone conversation last month.

"The upcoming meeting is ... expected to greatly contribute to the two countries' cooperation in response to COVID-19 down the road," the ministry said in a release.

Officials from related government organizations -- such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- will take part in the discussion, it said.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared that the virus crisis is now a pandemic, with the numbers of confirmed cases swelling across the globe.

As of midnight Wednesday, South Korea had reported 7,869 cases of the new virus, including 66 deaths. (Yonhap)