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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