President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to France, received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the highest distinction, from French President Emmanuel Macron on the 8th (local time).
First lady Kim Hea-kyung received the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit. It was a show of the highest courtesy, highly valuing her contribution to advancing friendship between Korea and France.
At the state banquet to which the president was invited that day, not only Korean government officials but also key figures from the business and cultural sectors joined.
From the business community, attendees included Lyu Jin, head of The Federation of Korean Industries; Lee Jae-yong, chair of Samsung Electronics; Koo Ja-eun, chair of LS Group; Cho Hyun-joon, chair of Hyosung; Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics; Sung Kim, president of Hyundai Motor; Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver; Na Sang-seop, CEO of Hanwha TotalEnergies; Seo Jin-seok, CEO of Celltrion; Choi Kyung, CEO of COSMAX Inc.; and Lee Joon-gu, CEO of Qnoba Computing.
From the cultural sector, attendees included Kang Dae-hyun, co-CEO of Nexon Korea; Park Jun-seo, CEO of SLL; Park Kwang-soo, chairperson of the Busan International Film Festival; Han Jang-jun, chairperson of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC); Kim Yun-ji, head of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA); and singer Hwasa.
At the event, the president said, "Through this visit, I feel I have become a true 'copain,' meaning 'a friend who shares bread,' with President Macron."
In addition, recalling that during Macron's state visit to Korea in Apr. the two watched a performance of traditional Korean string instruments at a friendship dinner, he presented a "celadon gayageum."
The celadon gayageum is a craftwork made by miniaturizing a gayageum in celadon, reflecting the fact that President Macron has a deep appreciation for music, including winning a piano competition during his school days.
He also recalled that during his state visit to Korea, President Macron likened "geumsil," which appears in writer Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance remarks, to the relationship between the two countries, and presented three of Han Kang's books: "I Do Not Bid Farewell," "Human Acts," and "The Vegetarian."
For Brigitte, he presented pianist Cho Seong-jin's complete Ravel piano works and a lacquer-and-mother-of-pearl clutch bag made by layering hemp to form its shape before lacquering and inlaying it.
Chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, "We expect the president's state visit to serve as an opportunity to further advance Korea-France relations in a wide range of areas, including the economy and culture, based on the trust and closeness between the two leaders."