President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron on April 3 shake hands before their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap News)

By Charles Audouin

President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron, who was on a state visit to Korea, on April 3 agreed in their summit to greatly expand cooperation in cutting-edge industries and energy.

President Macron is the first French head of state to make a trip to Korea since 2015 and the first European leader to make a state visit since President Lee assumed office. Their talks were also the third between both presidents following those at the G7 and G20 summits last year.

President Lee said in a joint news released at Cheong Wa Dae, "France has been a friend who has always been there for the Republic of Korea for 140 years since the launch of bilateral ties in 1886."

"We fought side by side during the Korean War and have been partners in industrial development in sectors such as nuclear power, high-speed rail and biotechnology," he added. "As we enjoy K-pop and K-content together, we are now building a relationship based on a deeper level of friendship and trust."

The two leaders adopted a joint statement on the development of bilateral relations, amended three agreements and signed 11 memorandums of understanding. Both sides agreed to greatly expand ties in a range of sectors such as trade, artificial intelligence, space, energy, the defense industry, education, research, culture, international veterans affairs and people-to-people exchanges.

Seoul and Paris also agreed to raise bilateral trade, which hit a record-high USD 15 billion last year, to USD 20 billion by 2030. To boost people-to-people exchanges, they raised the age range for a bilateral working holiday from ages 18-30 to 18-35.

President Lee thanked President Macron for formally inviting Korea to the G7 summit in June in Evian-les-Bains, France, adding, "As 'global strategic partners,' both countries have agreed to further strengthen their joint responses to global challenges."

"To jointly respond to the economic and energy crises caused by the Middle East conflict, we agreed to share policy experiences and strategies, as well as work together to resolve global economic uncertainty," President Lee added.

"We confirmed our commitment to raising energy security through expanded cooperation in nuclear power and offshore wind energy, while cooperating to secure safe maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz."

"I was deeply impressed by the sincerity and mutual trust confirmed by this summit," President Macron said. "Let us use this visit as an occasion to further develop another 140 years of bilateral relations and jointly pursue a world of peace and mutual respect.

French President Emmanuel Macron on April 2, the first day of his state visit to Korea, pays tribute at a memorial for French soldiers killed during the Korean War at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District. (Park Dae Jin)

After the summit, President Macron attended an official luncheon marking the 140th anniversary of bilateral relations at Cheong Wa Dae. To mark the occasion, 140 people from all walks of life from both countries attended including Felix, a member of the K-pop boy band Stray Kids who is serving as an honorary ambassador for Korean-French ties, and actor Jun Ji-hyun.

Afterward, the French leader gave a lecture at Yonsei University and attended a bilateral dialogue on future business. His final event was a dinner with cultural figures before departing on a private jet from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province.

caudouin@korea.kr