South Korea and France discussed ways Thursday to boost bilateral cooperation in the agriculture industry and food security, Seoul's agriculture ministry said.

The discussions were made during a meeting between South Korea's Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun and his French counterpart, Marc Fesneau, held in the central city of Sejong earlier in the day.

Chung proposed active information sharing and cooperation on smart farming, stressing that it is a crucial way to promote innovative growth of the industry, and better deal with climate changes and other challenges, according to his office.

He also said South Korea will soon join the global initiative of the "School Meal Coalition" led by France and Finland to help the international community combat hunger and malnutrition.

Also on the table were ways to work more closely on how to ensure their food security, nurture young farmers and better handle animal diseases, according to the ministry.

Source: Yonhap News Agency