U.S. President-elect Joe Biden expressed hopes to further solidify the South Korea-U.S. alliance and cooperate with President Moon Jae-in on shared challenges, including North Korea and climate change.

According to a statement on their first phone conversation on Wednesday, U.S. Eastern time, Biden thanked Moon for his congratulatory message, before expressing his desire to strengthen the alliance as the linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The president-elect said he looks forward to working closely with Moon on other shared challenges, ranging from North Korea's nuclear issue to climate change.

Moon and Biden discussed the shared values that underpin the alliance as well as their mutual interest in strengthening democracy.

Biden also praised Moon's strong leadership during the COVID-19 outbreak, noting his commitment to cooperate on addressing the pandemic, building global health security and stimulating global economic recovery.