Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung is set to visit France next week, where he will participate in a summit-level event on cinema and engage in bilateral discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, as announced by a presidential official on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the visit is scheduled from Sunday to Wednesday, following an invitation from Macron after his visit to South Korea in April. This visit coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and France. Lee's itinerary includes traveling to Saint-Paul-de-Vence for the Lumiere Summit on the future of cinema, followed by a two-day state visit to Paris, where he will hold summit talks with Macron.
Lee and Macron will co-chair the Lumiere Summit on Monday. On Tuesday, the two leaders will engage in a one-on-one luncheon, followed by a summit and a dinner banquet at the Elysee Palace, hosted by Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron. In Paris, Lee will also participate in a business roundtable with 20 companies from both nations and meet with Yael Braun-Pivet, speaker of the lower house of the French parliament, and Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Wi Sung-lac, the National Security Adviser, stated that Lee's visit is anticipated to foster tangible cooperation in areas such as security, the economy, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges with France. The trip aims to further solidify the "global strategic partnership" between the two countries by enhancing collaboration in key sectors.
Wi highlighted that South Korea seeks to expand cooperation with France in fields like artificial intelligence, space, nuclear energy, biology, and other advanced technologies, establishing a foundation for sustainable bilateral development. He emphasized the importance of thoroughly preparing for the visit to ensure it serves as a new starting point for another 140 years of relations.
A presidential official noted that the Lee-Macron summit might also explore discussions on cooperation in nuclear power plants and troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.