South Korea will take part in a series of meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) as well as the U.S. and China between Tuesday and Friday to discuss international cooperation on COVID-19 and the economy. 

Due to the pandemic, the foreign ministers' gathering, like last year, will be held virtually. 

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will attend a South Korea-ASEAN meeting as well as the ASEAN Plus Three meeting, which includes China and Japan. 

He will attend the 18-member East Asia Summit(EAS), which includes the U.S. and Russia, on Wednesday and the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF) on Friday. 

Attention is being drawn to whether North Korea will take part in the ARF, given that it’s the only multilateral security dialogue platform in which Pyongyang regularly participates. 

Participants of the meetings are set to discuss cooperation in health and the economy amid the pandemic as well as climate change. They are also likely to exchange views on pending regional issues, including those related to the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar and the South China Sea. 

In the meetings, South Korea is set to underline the importance of unity and cooperation to tackle the pandemic while also stressing the need for a swift and comprehensive economic recovery.

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken will call for full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea during the meetings. 

A senior State Department official said North Korea's foreign minister is expected to attend the ARF as in previous years, but Blinken has no plans to directly engage with the North on specific issues.