Liberty Case

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make a four-day state visit to France from Sept. 6 to Sept. 9 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korea’s presidential office said Friday.

Chief of the National Security Office Wi Sung-lac announced the visit during a briefing at Chunchugwan, saying Lee will co-chair the Lumière Summit with Macron and hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings in Paris.

The visit was arranged after Macron invited Lee during his April visit to South Korea to co-chair the Lumière Summit and proposed the state visit.

Lee is scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday evening. On Monday, he will join Macron in co-chairing the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in southern France.

The summit will bring together more than 150 leading figures from the global cultural and creative industries to discuss the future of the screen industry. South Korea views the gathering as an opportunity to strengthen the global presence of K-content and support Korean companies seeking to expand into European and international markets.

Wi said the summit would help “further expand the foundation for K-content and Korean companies to enter European and global markets, together with France, which has led the birth and growth of the film industry.”

Lee will then travel to Paris for two days of state-visit engagements beginning Tuesday.

The South Korean president and Macron are scheduled to hold a one-on-one luncheon at the Élysée Palace, followed by an expanded summit involving delegations from both countries. Lee will also attend a Korea-France business round table involving more than 20 companies before joining a state dinner hosted by Macron.

On Wednesday, Lee is scheduled to meet French National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet, attend a luncheon with the Korean community in France and meet OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.

Beyond culture and the film industry, Seoul said the visit is expected to expand cooperation with France in advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, space, nuclear energy and biotechnology, while also strengthening exchanges in science, technology and youth affairs.

Wi described France as the European Union’s second-largest economy, the world’s seventh-largest economy, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the 2026 G7 chair.

He said the visit would provide “new momentum” to South Korea’s diplomacy toward Europe and help “solidify the foundation for sustainable development of bilateral relations.”

The two leaders are also expected to discuss the rapidly changing international security environment and seek concrete cooperation across security, the economy, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

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Utsunomiya, Japan — Four workers died Thursday after being hit by an express train at a station in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, police said.

Tokyo, Japan — North Korea launched around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, in the latest show of force by Pyongyang amid ongoing U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from the Pyongyang area at around 5 p.m. local time and flew approximately 300 kilometers before falling into waters to the east of the Korean Peninsula. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were closely tracking the launches and were conducting a detailed analysis of the missiles’ specifications.

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Japan’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the launches and said multiple missiles traveled roughly 320 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of about 90 kilometers. The projectiles were believed to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, with no immediate reports of damage to aircraft or vessels.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who was in New Delhi for talks with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang over the launches. Japan, South Korea and the United States were coordinating closely to assess the situation and monitor for any further launches.

The missile launches came as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise. The drills, designed to strengthen the allies’ ability to respond to a potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula, are scheduled to conclude Friday after being significantly reduced from their original timetable.

The exercise had initially been scheduled to continue through August 27, but U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in the scale of American participation, including the cancellation of some field training. The move was widely viewed as an attempt to reduce tensions and create space for renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang.

North Korea, however, has rejected the suggestion that scaling back the exercises changes their nature. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the reduction in the drills did not alter what Pyongyang considers their hostile character. She has repeatedly criticized the U.S.-South Korean military exercises as preparations for war.

The latest launches came shortly after Pyongyang dismissed Washington’s apparent overture for renewed engagement. Despite the reduction in the military drills, North Korea has continued to signal that it remains dissatisfied with the U.S. and South Korean security posture on the Korean Peninsula.

In Seoul, authorities immediately stepped up surveillance and maintained a heightened military readiness posture. South Korea’s presidential office also convened an emergency security meeting involving officials from the Defense Ministry and military authorities to assess the implications of the launches and review the country’s response.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed relevant government agencies to gather and analyze information, provide accurate updates to the public and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of aircraft and vessels.

The launches also come against the backdrop of growing security concerns across Northeast Asia, where North Korea’s expanding missile capabilities have heightened tensions with South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Thursday’s barrage was North Korea’s third ballistic-missile launch this month, following launches on August 6 and August 12. The repeated tests underscore Pyongyang’s continued development and demonstration of its missile capabilities despite international pressure and ongoing diplomatic efforts.

South Korean and U.S. authorities said they would continue closely monitoring North Korean military activity for signs of additional launches or other provocations.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Diplomattimes accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Diplomattimes management/diplomattimes.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.