The female foreign ministers of nine countries, including South Korea, have held a video conference to discuss gender equality and women's roles in combating the novel coronavirus.

According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry on Friday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed her concerns over social and economic challenges facing women in the process of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kang then called for joint efforts by the international community to address those challenges.

She added that South Korea is mulling over and enforcing diverse support measures to ease women's childcare burden and help them keep their jobs.  

The video conference, hosted by Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya, was attended by Kang and her counterparts of eight other countries including Australia, Sweden, Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Colombia and Indonesia. 

The ministers reportedly agreed to continue close communication in enhancing the roles of women and strengthening their capacity to respond to the disease.