Foreign Ministry officials and the heads of six diplomatic missions in Europe held a meeting via video conference on Tuesday to discuss ways to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.

During the meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, participants assessed the spread of the virus in Europe and the decision by the European Union(EU) to close its external borders. They also discussed ways to protect overseas Koreans and cooperate with the EU and other countries in the region on tackling the virus.  

The mission chiefs, in particular, talked about the obstacles in protecting overseas Koreans and ways to address such problems. 

According to the ministry, Kang urged South Korean diplomatic missions to exert efforts to minimize public inconvenience and damages.  

The meeting came as the Foreign Ministry issued earlier on Monday a travel advisory for 36 European countries on growing concerns over the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the region.