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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and French President Emmanuel Macron greet each other following a joint press announcement at the Élysée Palace in Paris on the 8th (local time). / Yonhap News

On the occasion of President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to France, South Korea and France signed 16 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) spanning defense and security, advanced technologies, nuclear energy, aviation, and culture. The signings translate the outcomes of the bilateral summit into tangible cooperation across military intelligence, AI and semiconductors, nuclear supply chains, and industrial partnerships.

Following a luncheon and bilateral summit at the Élysée Palace in Paris on the 8th (local time), President Lee and French President Emmanuel Macron held a ceremony to exchange the signed documents.

The two nations first signed a protocol amending the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which had been agreed upon during their April summit.

The amending protocol adds the head of France's Secretariat-General for Defense and National Security to the designated security authorities and establishes new restrictions on access to classified documents, strengthening safeguards on military secrets. Through these revisions, both countries established a formal framework to enhance the stability and reliability of military intelligence exchanges.

The two leaders also agreed to work toward an early conclusion of a Mutual Logistics Support Agreement. Once finalized, the pact will establish an institutional mechanism enabling the upfront reciprocal provision of supplies and services during peacetime and contingencies, followed by subsequent financial settlement.

In the industry and advanced technology sectors, the signings included an investment agreement between Samsung Electronics and French artificial intelligence startup Mistral AI. Under the agreement, Samsung Electronics will participate as a strategic investor in Mistral AI to jointly develop an enterprise-grade AI model designed to protect proprietary semiconductor technologies. This build on a letter of intent on AI, semiconductors, and quantum technology cooperation signed in April.

The two governments also concluded an MOU to promote joint research and development, startup collaboration, and bilateral investments across AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing. Additionally, they signed an MOU on industrial cooperation and competitiveness, establishing a ministerial-level industrial strategy dialogue and sector-specific working groups.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) also inked a business cooperation MOU with its French counterpart to bolster bilateral trade and investment. Nuclear sector cooperation widened as well, with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and French nuclear fuel cycle company Orano signing a letter of intent on long-term uranium enrichment services.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) agreed to pursue an MOU with French nuclear reactor company Framatome to conduct joint R&D on next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs). That MOU will be formally signed on a separate occasion.

In aviation, the two countries signed a protocol amending their bilateral air services agreement. Concluded after roughly a decade of negotiations, the revision is expected to establish a fair and sustainable foundation for aviation cooperation while expanding passenger and cargo traffic. In the cultural sphere, a letter of intent on cultural cooperation was signed to spur joint investment and exchanges across the cultural and creative industries.

Other signed documents included an MOU on intellectual property cooperation, an implementing arrangement on space industry promotion, MOUs on cooperation in biotechnology and plant science, an MOU on quantum technology applications in biotech, an inter-university cooperation agreement, an MOU on mathematics and physics cooperation, and an agreed framework on police and law enforcement cooperation.

                                                                                                       Park Young-hoon