President Lee Jae-myung returned home after concluding his four-night, five-day state visit to France on Sept. 9.
President Lee completed a reciprocal state visit with French President Emmanuel Macron five months after agreeing to a “mutual global strategic partnerships” in national defense, security, and advanced industries, culture/content and personnel exchanges.
In particular, both countries agreed to expand bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030 and ramp up joint R&D in future industries, such as AI, semiconductors, quantum, nuclear power and space.
Both sides inaugurated the “Lumière Partnership” initiative worth a combined 1 billion euro, including calling for Korea and France each to invest 500 million euro in the film and video sectors in the next five years.
President Lee reciprocated French President Macron’s state visit to Korea last April on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of Korean-French diplomatic relations.
French President Macron conferred the Legion of Honor Grand Cross, France’s highest honor order, on President Lee on a state visit to France and Grand Cordon of the Order of National Merit on First Lady Kim Hae-kyung.
President Lee laid a wreath at the tombs of unknown heroes at the Triumphal Arch and participated in an official welcoming ceremony before holding talks with President Macron at the Elysée Palace for two hours.
Both sides held an extended summit with delegations from both countries in attendance, and discussed ways of promoting cooperation in six areas – national defense/security, economy/industry, advanced science and technology, personnel exchange, culture and pending international issues.
The two countries exchanged eight pacts and MOUs on national defense/aviation, AI/semiconductor/quantum, industry competitiveness, culture, nuclear power, intellectual property and aerospace with the two leaders in attendance.
Samsung Electronics signed a pact on a strategic partnership with Mistral AI to enhance its semiconductor engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
As for the national defense and security sector, both countries refined a bilateral military information exchange regime by revising the pact on the protection of military secret information, which was signed in 2001.
The two leaders shared the view they will soon strike a deal on mutual military support, in which negotiations on wording are getting under way.
Both sides plan to conduct a joint military exercise in Seoul next week, and the navies of the two nations plan to make a port call to each other’s ports in the coming months.
In the economic sector, the two nations agreed to expand Korean-French trade to $20 billion by 2030 and industry cooperation.
They plan to support companies who enter each other’s market by overhauling cooperative regimes in the industrial competitiveness and intellectual property sectors.
In advanced technology sectors, both sides upgraded cooperation in the AI, semiconductor and quantum sectors after striking a preliminary agreement last April.
They agreed to expand startups’ market entry in each other’s economies, and R&D among companies and research institutions.
Samsung Electronics and Mistral AI plan to develop an AI model for the former that can protect and utilize the former’s semiconductor knowhow.
Both countries agreed to expand the scope of cooperation in the nuclear power sector in which they have a competitive edge.
The two leaders agreed to open a ranking dialogue channel in the civilian nuclear power sector. Korea Hydroelectric Nuclear Power and Orano agreed to cooperation in a long-term uranium enrichment supply.
The step is designed to help Korea diversify nuclear fuel supply chain networks by securing new Western sphere enrichment supply resources and cooperate in next-generation nuclear reactor safety technology development.
In the aerospace sector, the two countries signed an action pact on the expanding of cooperating among civilian aerospace industry ecosystems, based on the outcomes of the Korean-French aerospace forum, lasting 10 years.
In the bio sector, they plan to conduct joint R&D on eco-friendly materials, climate change-resistant plants and new drug development using quantum computing.
Both sides agreed to expand the scope of personnel exchanges.
They agreed on code sharing among airliners and expanding of flight routes as well as overhauled regions on safety, security and environment by revising the mutual aviation pact, signed in 1974, after over 10 years of negotiations.
The two leaders agreed to closely cooperate in the freedom of the navigation of the Hormuz Strait.
They agreed to cooperate on pending international issues, such as the reconstruction of Ukraine, and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The main purpose of President Lee’s state visit was cooperation in the culture and content sectors.
President Lee and President Macron jointly chaired “Sommet Lumière,” the first international summit in the film and video sector, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, on Sept. 7.
The event was attended by 274 people from 58 countries, including cultural ministers and international institution notables, film and video company officials, directors and actors.
At the event, President Lee delivered his opening speech on the pending issues of the film, in which he enumerated four tasks – overcoming a crisis and harmonious co-existence of human creativity and AI, protecting cultural diversity through support of independent films, and local and global shared growth.
The two leaders launched the “Lumière Partnership” initiative, calling for Korea and France to invest 500 million euros between 2027 and 2031 for a combined 1 billion euros.
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