The science ministers of South Korea and Britain had a virtual meeting Monday to discuss measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in science technologies, Seoul's science ministry said.

The meeting between South Korean Science Minister Lee Jong-ho and his British counterpart, Michelle Donelan, is a follow-up to the "Downing Street Accord" signed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year, aiming to strengthen the two countries' collaboration across sectors, including security, defense, science and technology, as well as economy and trade, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

As part of the accord, the two countries will hold the first South Korea-Britain digital partnership forum and launch a mixed committee on science and technology later this year.

Lee and Donelan reviewed plans for the upcoming second Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit this year, following the first summit held in Britain last year.

"Through this bilateral ministerial talk, we have taken our first step to carry out collaboration in science technology and ICT areas as agreed upon last year," Lee said, calling for stronger ties between Seoul and London. (Yonhap)