Senior foreign ministry officials of South Korea and Japan held talks on Wednesday to discuss responses to the novel coronavirus and other pending issues. 

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said that Kim Jung-han, director-general for Asian and Pacific affairs at the ministry, held a video conference with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki.

The two sides reportedly explained their governments' anti-virus efforts and shared understanding on the importance of their close communication and cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry said that Kim also mentioned the need to strike a balance to enable visits for humanitarian purposes and essential visits by Korean business people, despite the strengthened containment measures. 

Kim made the call as Japan is set to enforce an entry ban on foreigners from an additional 49 countries and territories, including South Korea and the United States, starting Friday. 

Kim also repeated Seoul's position regarding the issue of Japan's wartime forced labor and called on Tokyo to swiftly withdraw its export restrictions on South Korea.