"Fusion of Advanced Manufacturing and Deep Tech"... Korean and French Economic Leaders Gather at the Élysée Palace in Paris

Korea-France 'Business Roundtable' Marks 140th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties

Jay Y. Lee, Ja-eun Koo, Hyun-joon Cho and Business Leaders from Both Nations Gather

Comprehensive Partnerships from Sovereign AI to HVDC

To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France, the business sectors of both countries are establishing comprehensive partnerships in advanced strategic industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, power grids, and future mobility, with the goal of jointly entering global markets.

On the 8th (local time), the Korea Economic Cooperation Association co-hosted the 'Korea-France Business Roundtable' with the French business association MEDEF at the 'Hotel de Marigny,' a guest facility of the Élysée Palace in Paris, France.

President Jae-myung Lee and French President Emmanuel Macron took a commemorative photo with participants including Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, Korea Economic Cooperation Federation Chairman Jin Ryu, and Hyosung Chairman Hyun-joon Cho at a business roundtable held at the Marinie State Guesthouse in Paris, France on the 8th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The event, held in conjunction with President Jae-myung Lee’s state visit to France, was attended by about 33 high-level government officials and business leaders from both countries. On the Korean side, attendees included Jin Ryu, Chairman of the Korea Economic Cooperation Association; Jay Y. Lee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics; Ja-eun Koo, Chairman of LS; Hyun-joon Cho, Chairman of Hyosung; Jae-chul Ryu, President of LG Electronics; Kim Sung, President of Hyundai Motor; Sooyeon Choi, CEO of Naver; Sangseop Na, CEO of Hanwha TotalEnergies; Hoechun Kim, CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power; Jinseok Seo, CEO of Celltrion; Kyung Choi, Vice Chairman of Cosmax; and Joongu Lee, CEO of Qnova Computing.

On the French side, notable deep-tech business leaders participated, including François Jacq, CEO of Air Liquide; Jean Lemierre, Chairman of BNP Paribas; Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oréal; Felicie Burelle, CEO of OPmobility; Claude Imauven, Chairman of Orano; and representatives from Mistral AI.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Jin Ryu emphasized, "Korea and France have been leading the era of change through creativity and innovation." He highlighted the integration of scientific technology and manufacturing capabilities, stating, "We will expand the scope of economic cooperation to partnerships in advanced innovation." Referring to a tree planted with President Macron during his state visit to Korea in April, he added, "The friendship and economic partnership between our countries are taking deeper root and growing stronger."

At the roundtable, discussions focused on concrete cooperation plans in the main areas of advanced technology, energy and sustainable chemistry, decarbonized mobility and infrastructure/finance, and health and beauty.

In the AI sector, Naver and Mistral AI shared their example of a partnership to capture the sovereign AI market and agreed to broaden their cooperation to include AI factories. For quantum computing, the proposal was made to build a global testbed combining Quandela’s source technology with Korea’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing capabilities.

In the power grid sector, LS and Hyosung discussed plans to leverage their power infrastructure technologies to provide high-voltage direct current (HVDC) solutions and supply key components for small modular reactors (SMRs). In mobility, Hyundai Motor aims to establish a Future Mobility School in France, while LG plans to strengthen its collaboration with Renault; in beauty and bio, cases of Cosmax and Celltrion entering the European market were introduced.

Taking advantage of the state visit and business exchanges, three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed, producing visible outcomes in economic cooperation between the two countries: an investment agreement between Samsung Electronics and Mistral AI, a business agreement between Cosmax and L'Oréal, and a letter of intent for cooperation between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Orano.

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