(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop and Hwang Yoon-ki = President Lee Jae-myung will make a state visit to France from the 6th to the 9th at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Director of the National Security Office Wi Sang-rak announced in a briefing on the 4th.
Director Wi explained that this visit was in response to President Macron's invitation to President Lee, who visited Korea in April, to co-chair the 'Lumière Summit', an international film and video summit held in France.
First, after arriving in the country on the afternoon of the 6th, President Lee will attend the Lumière Summit held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southern France, the following day, on the 7th, as co-chairman with President Macron.
Starting on the 8th, the two-day state visit will be held in Paris.
As part of his first schedule, President Lee will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe, attend an official welcoming ceremony hosted by the French government, and then have a private lunch with President Macron at the Elysee Palace.
Afterwards, an expanded summit is scheduled to be attended by delegations from both countries.
On the same day, President Lee will also attend the 'Korea-France Business Round Table' event in which about 20 companies from both countries participate.
In the evening, there will be a state dinner hosted by Macron and his wife at the Elysee Palace.
On the 9th, the last day of the visit, he plans to meet Brun Phoebe, Speaker of the French House of Representatives, followed by a luncheon with compatriots and a meeting with Matthias Corman, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Director Wi said, “This visit will provide an opportunity to solidify our ‘global strategic partnership’ with France and add new impetus to the expansion of our diplomacy with Europe.”
He then emphasized, "We will expand cooperation with France, a leading country in the future industry, in cutting-edge technology fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), space, nuclear energy, and biotechnology, and revitalize exchanges in youth and science and technology fields. As a co-chair of the Lumiere Summit, we will lead discussions on the future of the global film and video industry and expand the basis for K-content's entry into the European market."
In the field of security, he expressed his expectation that "through a summit meeting with the President of France, which has a high international status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, we will be able to effectively respond to the rapidly changing international order and produce concrete cooperation results ranging from security, economy, science and technology, culture and human exchange."
Noting that this year marks the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he said, "I will faithfully prepare for this trip so that it becomes a new starting point to further strengthen the foundation for the next 140 years."
A high-ranking Blue House official met with reporters on this day and was asked whether nuclear power plant-related discussions would take place at the summit with President Macron. He responded, "We are discussing to make concrete progress, and we expect it to be discussed."
Regarding the possibility of direct discussions between the two leaders regarding the dispatch of troops to the Strait of Hormuz, he explained, "France is the first country to actively move toward international solidarity for passage through Hormuz, and has also discussed with us," adding, "It cannot be said that there is no possibility."
