President Lee Jae Myung Departs for Home After Five-Day State Visit to France; Cooperation on Strait of Hormuz and Nuclear Energy Expanded

【Financial News, Paris, France—Reporter Seong Seok-woo】President Lee Jae Myung departed for South Korea on July 9 (local time) after completing his five-day, three-night state visit to France. After confirming cooperation with French President Emmanuel Macron to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and expanding bilateral cooperation into defense, nuclear energy and artificial intelligence (AI), Lee headed home.
Lee departed from Paris Orly Airport that afternoon aboard Code One, the presidential aircraft.
On the final day of his visit to France, Lee met with Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly of France, and called for parliamentary cooperation to advance democracy and take bilateral relations to the next level. In the guestbook, he wrote, "I hope the governments and parliaments of Korea and France will open a new 140 years together."
Lee then held a luncheon meeting with Korean residents in Paris. Explaining why he had actively pursued summit diplomacy from the beginning of his presidency, he said, "Because my term is clearly limited under the Constitution, I must start quickly to benefit from its effects." He concluded his official schedule in France with a meeting with Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
During the state visit, Lee held a summit meeting with President Macron and confirmed close coordination to ensure stability and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries also strengthened defense and security cooperation by signing a protocol amending the General Security of Military Information Agreement and pursuing a mutual logistics support agreement.
In the nuclear energy sector, the two sides agreed to pursue high-level civilian nuclear talks and expand cooperation on uranium-enrichment supply chains and safety technologies for next-generation reactors. They also agreed to broaden joint research and development (R&D) and cooperation between companies in advanced industries, including AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, space and biotechnology.
The state visit completed reciprocal state visits by the leaders of South Korea and France, five months after President Macron’s state visit to South Korea in April.
Code One, carrying President Lee, is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on July 10.
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