Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to return to the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.

In November 2019, the Trump administration notified the UN of its withdrawal from the agreement, citing the unfair economic burden imposed on American workers, businesses and taxpayers.

Speaking at a forum co-hosted by the Institute for Global Economics on Monday, Ban also said the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the potential destruction that could occur in the near future due to climate change, citing the increased threat to public health, supply shock and prolonged economic crisis.

The former UN chief, who currently heads South Korea's National Council on Climate Change and Air Quality(NCCA), said everyone has a part to play in tackling climate change, and the task requires multilateral efforts and cooperation.

Ban said South Korea should lead such global efforts as one of the world's top ten economies whose strengths fall in the areas of cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence(AI).