President Lee Departs for State Visit to France... Expanding Cooperation in Advanced Industries such as AI and Nuclear Energy

Reciprocal State Visits Between Korea and France in Just Five Months
Co-chairing the "Lumière Summit" with Macron
Expanding Cooperation in AI, Space, Nuclear Energy, and Biotechnology
Seeking New Opportunities for K-Content in Europe

President Lee Jae-myung departed on September 6 for a state visit to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. President Lee will co-chair the 'Lumiere Summit', an international film and media leaders' meeting, with President Macron and hold a summit to expand cooperation in advanced industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), space, nuclear energy, and biotechnology.

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, visiting France on a state visit, are departing from Seongnam Seoul Airport on Air Force One on the 6th. From left, Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety; Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party; President Lee; First Lady Kim; and Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat. September 6, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

On this day, President Lee and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung boarded Air Force One at Seongnam Seoul Airport in Gyeonggi Province to head to France. At the airport, Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety; Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat; Hong Ik-pyo, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs; Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party; and Han Byung-do, the floor leader, were present to see the presidential couple off.

This five-day, three-night visit was arranged after President Macron, during his state visit to Korea in April, requested President Lee to serve as co-chair of the Lumiere Summit and extended an invitation for a state visit to France. With this visit taking place just five months after President Macron’s visit to Korea, the two countries have completed mutual state visits in a very short time. The two nations upgraded their relations to a "global strategic partnership" on the occasion of the summit in April. This year also marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.

President Lee will begin his itinerary in southern France with a "Dinner with Creators from Five Continents." The first key event will be the Lumiere Summit, which will be held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on September 7 (local time). President Lee and President Macron will deliver joint opening remarks as co-chairs and discuss the future of the global film and video industry with government representatives and industry leaders from various countries.

The Lumiere Summit, being held for the first time this year, is an international conference where the “moving image” industry—film, television, streaming, and gaming—is discussed at the highest level. Approximately 150 people, including government officials from five continents, executives of global content and media companies, and creators, are participating. Major topics include the impact of generative AI on the creative ecosystem; sources of investment for content production; declining audiences and competition with social media; and exploring new markets. Executives from global content companies like Disney, NBCUniversal, and Netflix are also in attendance. According to the presidential office, the government aims to leverage this meeting as an opportunity to connect the influence of Korea’s content industry not only to cultural achievements but also to global market and industry cooperation.

Whee Sung-rak, the Director of National Security, stated during a briefing, "At the Lumiere Summit, we will, together with France, which has led the birth and growth of the film industry, take the lead in shaping the future of the global film and video industry as co-chairs, and further expand the foundation for K-content and our companies to advance into the European and global markets."

On September 8, President Lee will move to Paris to officially begin the state visit. After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe, he will attend an official welcome ceremony and have a private luncheon with President Macron at the Élysée Palace. This will be followed by an expanded summit with both countries’ delegations participating to discuss the future development of Korea-France relations and the international situation. A business roundtable with some 20 companies from both countries, as well as a state banquet hosted by President Macron and his wife, are also planned.

The summit is expected to focus on turning the "global strategic partnership," agreed upon in April, into concrete cooperative projects. Major topics will include expanding joint R&D, corporate cooperation, and market entry in high-tech sectors such as AI, space, nuclear energy, and biotechnology. In their summit last April, the two leaders had also agreed to strengthen cooperation in future industries and energy sectors such as nuclear power, AI, critical minerals, and offshore wind power.

In particular, with recent growing uncertainties in the international situation, discussions between the two leaders on security matters are attracting attention. France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a key country in the European Union (EU). At the summit in April, Korea and France agreed to cooperate to ensure the safety of maritime transportation in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz. With freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once again becoming a pressing issue for Korea, it is likely that the two sides will exchange opinions on related matters.

President Jae-myung Lee and his wife, who are on a state visit to France, are greeting the farewell party from Air Force One at Seongnam Seoul Airport on the 6th. September 6, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

On September 9, President Lee will meet with Yael Braun-Pivet, President of the French National Assembly, hold a luncheon meeting with overseas Koreans, and have an audience with Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), before returning to Korea.

The presidential office views this visit as an opportunity to expand the administration's second-year diplomacy toward Europe. Director Whee stated, "We expect this state visit to serve as an opportunity to deepen the 'global strategic partnership', which was elevated last April, through substantive cooperation in security, the economy, and people-to-people exchanges, and to add new momentum to the expansion of our diplomacy toward Europe."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.