President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting South Africa to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit, held a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on the 22nd local time. It was about five months after they met in an expanded session of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada in June, and it was the first Korea-France summit since taking office.

On June 17 (local time), President Lee Jae-myung attends an expanded session of the G7 summit, held over a working luncheon at the G7 summit venue in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. From right, French President Emmanuel Macron, President Lee, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. /Courtesy of Yonhap News

Recalling their meeting at the time, President Lee said, "Back then, President Macron sat next to me, and the video capturing that moment is very famous in Korea."

President Lee said, "France and Korea have a special relationship, and I hope today's meeting will serve as an opportunity to develop it into a truly exceptional relationship," adding, "I also hope our bilateral ties will be elevated by one notch to a 'strategic partnership.'" He added, "I would like to further solidify cooperation in each field, including culture, the economy, security, and advanced technology."

In particular, President Lee said, "I would like to again thank you for your support through troop deployment when Korea faced a crisis due to (North Korea's) southward invasion," and added, "The French Revolution is famous worldwide, but I would also like to note that it greatly influenced the development of Korea's democracy."

In response, President Macron said, "As President Lee noted, we had a brief chance to cross paths at the G7, and I am pleased to hold a meeting this time," and added, "I believe our two countries can cooperate in a variety of fields, including security, artificial intelligence (AI), space, nuclear power, and renewable energy."

President Macron added, "We also appreciate Korea's clear and consistent stance on key issues such as the Ukraine matter."

Meanwhile, at the meeting, President Lee extended an invitation to President Macron, saying, "I tried to visit Korea in September this year but could not; next year is a special year marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France, so I hope you will visit. We will welcome you as a state guest together with the people."

President Macron replied, "We will prepare for a visit to Korea next year to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties," and President Lee said, "We will be waiting."

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