South Korean President to Visit France for Summit with French Counterpart, Film Industry Talks

The Korea Times

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will pay a state visit to France from 6 to 9 September for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussions on the future of the film industry, Lee’s office said on Friday.

Lee and Macron will co-chair the one-day Lumière Summit, scheduled to take place on 7 September in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the presidential office said.

Around 150 politicians, policymakers and film industry figures have been invited to the summit, according to the French Embassy in Seoul. It is described as the first international event focused on addressing the future of film and video content.

The summit will examine how the film industry should respond to artificial intelligence, compete with social media platforms and address funding shortages, the event’s secretary-general said at a briefing on Thursday.

On 8 September, Lee will hold a summit and luncheon with Macron and attend a business roundtable alongside executives from around 20 South Korean and French companies, his office said.

South Korea views Lee’s visit as an opportunity to expand cooperation with France in security, the economy and people-to-people exchanges, following the elevation of bilateral ties to a “strategic partnership” during Macron’s visit to Seoul in April, Lee’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a briefing on Friday.

"We expect this to serve as an opportunity to add fresh momentum to expanding our ⁠diplomacy with Europe," Wi said.

South Korea is also seeking to deepen cooperation in areas including AI, aerospace and biotech, he said.




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