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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

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a state visit to France, held a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on the 8th (local time), agreeing to maintain close coordination to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and stabilize global supply chains. The two leaders also agreed to substantially strengthen South Korea-France defense and security cooperation to jointly respond to uncertainties in the international order.

In a joint press announcement with President Macron following the summit at the Élysée Palace, President Lee stated, "We have agreed to achieve a substantial leap forward in our defense and security cooperation to jointly respond to uncertainties in the international order."

President Lee noted, "During his state visit to South Korea in April, President Macron began his official itinerary at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan. I, too, began the official schedule of my state visit to France by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe."

He emphasized, "This is an expression of our resolute commitment to firmly defend the shared values of freedom, democracy, and peace that both nations have upheld together."

Taking the summit as an occasion, the two nations signed a protocol amending the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). President Lee explained, "By signing the protocol amending the GSOMIA, which was finalized during our April summit, both countries are overhauling our institutional framework to make our intelligence-sharing system even more sophisticated."

The two sides also agreed to expedite discussions toward concluding a Mutual Logistics Support Agreement. "We agreed to accelerate consultations so that a Mutual Logistics Support Agreement—which will enhance the stability and operational efficiency of cooperation between our armed forces—can be concluded as soon as possible," President Lee said.

Military exchanges will also expand. President Lee remarked, "The joint PEGASE exercise between the air forces of both countries, scheduled to take place in Seoul next week, alongside mutual naval port calls planned for the second half of this year, will serve as opportunities to deepen mutual understanding and interoperability between our militaries. They will stand as clear demonstrations of our increasingly close strategic coordination."

The issue of the Strait of Hormuz was also placed on the summit agenda. President Lee stated, "The Republic of Korea and France agreed to continue close coordination to ensure the prompt restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the stability of global supply chains."

Earlier, during the bilateral summit in April, President Lee expressed South Korea's willingness to contribute to regional stability in the Strait of Hormuz.

Regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, President Lee affirmed ongoing support for Ukraine and cooperation on post-war reconstruction. "South Korea has extended assistance to Ukraine across various areas," President Lee said. "Moving forward, both countries will continue to work alongside the international community to facilitate the swift restoration of peace and reconstruction in Ukraine."

The expansion of economic cooperation was also highlighted as a key outcome of the summit. "We agreed to further strengthen economic and industrial cooperation with the goal of reaching 20 billion dollars in bilateral trade volume by 2030," President Lee said. "We also decided to flesh out partnerships to connect advanced industries and science and technology—the core pillars of bilateral cooperation including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, space, nuclear energy, and biotechnology—with actual industries and markets."

In the nuclear sector, both nations agreed to further advance research and development as well as fuel supply cooperation. President Lee explained, "We signed additional cooperation documents in nuclear R&D and fuel supply, further developing the full-lifecycle nuclear cooperation agreed upon in April."

He added, "We agreed to further enhance cooperation in developing next-generation reactors and diversifying supply chains over the medium to long term, and decided to launch a high-level dialogue channel for civil nuclear cooperation."

Cooperation in the cultural industries was also addressed. Referring to the Lumière Partnership, under which the two countries agreed to invest a combined 1 billion euros into the film and audiovisual industries over five years, President Lee remarked, "France, which pioneered the birth and growth of cinema, and South Korea, which has drawn global acclaim with its unique storytelling and outstanding production prowess, have now joined hands. I look forward to ushering in a new golden age together for cinema, the seventh art."

                                                                                                         Park Young-hoon