President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to France, said on the 9th (local time) that "for a new leap forward in bilateral relations, groundbreaking yet deep cooperation between the two countries' parliaments is necessary."
On this day, President Lee met with French National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet and said, "There is great potential for cooperation between Korea and France to further expand in various fields, including trade and investment, advanced technology, and social policy."
At the meeting, held in the office at the official residence of Speaker Braun-Pivet, Cho Hyun, Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Wi Sung-lac, director of the Office of National Security, attended from Korea, and Bruno Fuchs, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sabrina Sebaihi, head of the Korea-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, attended from France.
President Lee emphasized, "In a global environment where democracy is under threat, reflecting the will of the people in politics is the essence of democracy," and noted that "in this process, the parliament plays a very important role."
He added, "The French Revolution spread the values of liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty, and it also had an important impact on Korea in opening the era of popular sovereignty."
President Lee also emphasized, "As exemplary democratic states, France and Korea have continued to develop based on liberty and equality, including economic development and the expansion of high-tech industries, and the fundamental democratic values of liberty and equality have provided a solid foundation for this."
In response, National Assembly Speaker Braun-Pivet said, "This visit to the National Assembly carries great significance, as it shows President Lee's special interest in the role of the parliament representing democracy."
In particular, when Speaker Braun-Pivet expressed interest in Korea's policies for the development of democracy, President Lee also introduced Korea's institutional reforms that can reflect the opinions of the people in policy.
Chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung noted, "This meeting served as an opportunity to extend the cooperation between the two countries, which was made concrete through two summits this year, to the parliamentary level and to draw the attention and cooperation of the French parliament so that the outcomes lead to practical cooperation that the peoples of both countries can feel."