President Lee Jae Myung Meets French National Assembly President: “May Korea and France Open a New 140 Years Together”

【Financial News, Paris, France = Reporter Seong Seok-woo】President Lee Jae Myung, who is on a state visit to France, met with Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, on September 9 local time and called for the French Parliament to play a role in advancing relations between the two countries.
According to Kang Yoo-jung, a senior presidential spokesperson, President Lee visited the office of the president of France’s National Assembly at the official residence in Paris that day. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Wi Sung-lac, director of the National Security Office, attended on the Korean side, while Bruno Fich, chair of the Foreign Affairs Standing Committee, and Sabrina Sebaihi, president of the Korea-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, attended on the French side.
Marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Lee wrote in the guestbook, "I hope that the governments and parliaments of Korea and France will jointly open a new 140 years of bilateral relations."
President Yaël Braun-Pivet noted that President Lee’s visit to the National Assembly was highly significant, as it demonstrated his particular interest in the role of parliaments as representatives of democracy.
President Lee emphasized that reflecting the will of the people in politics is the essence of democracy at a time when democracy is under threat worldwide. He assessed that parliaments play a very important role in this process. He also stressed that the French Revolution spread the values of freedom, equality, and popular sovereignty, and had a significant influence on Korea’s efforts to usher in an era of popular sovereignty.
He went on to point out that the fundamental democratic values of freedom and equality have provided a solid foundation for the two countries, as exemplary democracies, to continue developing through economic growth and the expansion of advanced industries.
Noting the significant potential for expanded cooperation in areas including trade and investment, advanced technology, and social policy, President Lee emphasized that the two parliaments must play a role and pursue groundbreaking, in-depth cooperation to achieve a new advance in bilateral relations.
President Yaël Braun-Pivet expressed interest in Korea’s policies for democratic development, while President Lee introduced Korea’s institutional reforms aimed at reflecting public opinion in policymaking. They also discussed ways to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges and agreed on the need to further promote exchanges and communication between the two countries’ parliaments to advance Korea-France relations.

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