South Korea's President Lee to visit France for summit, film discussion with Macron


FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL, Sept ⁠4 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will pay a state ⁠visit to France from September 6 to 9 for a ‌summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and for a joint discussion on the film industry, Lee's office said on Friday.

Lee and Macron will co-chair the one-day Lumiere Summit, scheduled for ​September 7 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the presidential office ⁠said.

About 150 politicians, policy makers ⁠and film industry figures have been invited to the summit, the first international ⁠event ‌to address the future of film and video content, according to the French Embassy in Seoul.

The meeting will debate how the ⁠film industry should respond to artificial intelligence, compete ​with social media platforms ‌and cope with funding shortages, the secretary-general of the summit said ⁠in a ​press briefing on Thursday.

On September 8, Lee will hold a summit and luncheon with Macron and attend a business roundtable along with executives from about 20 ⁠South Korean and French companies, Lee's office said.

South ​Korea views Lee's trip as an opportunity to expand cooperation with France in security, the economy and human interactions, following an upgrade of bilateral ties ⁠to a "strategic partnership" during Macron's visit to Seoul in April, Wi Sung-lac, Lee's national security adviser, told a briefing on Friday.

"We expect this to serve as an opportunity to add fresh momentum to expanding our diplomacy with ​Europe," Wi said.

South Korea is also seeking to ⁠deepen cooperation in areas including AI, aerospace and biotech, he said.

Before returning to ​Seoul, Lee will meet on September 9 ‌with Yael Braun-Pivet, the head of the ​French lower house, and Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

(Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)

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