(LEAD) ASEAN+3 virtual summit to be held next week: Cheong Wa Dae

(ATTN: UPDATES with news report of date in paras 6-7; CHANGES dateline)

SEOUL/HANOI, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to hold a video summit with ASEAN countries, China and Japan next week for closer cooperation on the coronavirus pandemic, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.

It was summarizing the results of a weekly standing committee session of the National Security Council (NSC) in a brief press statement.

Its members "agreed to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN nations to overcome the COVID-19 crisis via the ASEAN Plus Three (ATP) video summit to be held next week," according to Cheong Wa Dae.

The ATP involves 10 Southeast Asian nations and the trio of Northeast Asian powers. Cheong Wa Dae did not reveal an exact schedule for the event.

Speaking by phone with each other last week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed a plan for the summit. Vietnam serves as chair of this year's ASEAN meetings.

Vietnam reportedly said that the summit is to be convened on Tuesday.

The country's deputy foreign minister, Nguyen Quoc Dung, said a separate video conference of ASEAN leaders is also scheduled on the day, according to a local news outlet.

The NSC members also reviewed the international community's response to the pandemic and agreed to continue efforts to protect South Koreans and support their business-related activities abroad.

They agreed that South Korea would participate actively in the world's quarantine efforts by responding positively to requests for cooperation from foreign nations, made either in summit phone talks or through the diplomatic channel.

On the defense cost-sharing talks with the United States, they agreed to continue close bilateral consultations to strike a deal at an early date, Cheong Wa Dae said. The NSC session was presided over by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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