President Lee Jae Myung from Sept. 6-9 will pay a state visit to France at the invitation of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Shown is President Lee (right) on April 3 talking with President Macron at the official welcoming ceremony for the latter at Cheong Wa Dae. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Xu Aiying

President Lee Jae Myung from Sept. 6-9 will pay a state visit to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Sept. 4 announced this in a news briefing on the trip at Cheong Wa Dae, adding, "This visit follows President Macron's invitation to President Lee to serve as co-chair of the Lumiere Summit during the former's visit to Korea in April, and his subsequent proposal that President Lee make a state visit to France."

Led by the leaders of Korea and France, Lumiere, a global film and video summit, will be held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in southern France, with 150 key figures from some 30 countries expected to attend.

President Lee will arrive in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the evening of Sept. 6 to attend the summit the following day.

"As a co-chair country alongside France, which led the birth and growth of the film industry, at the Lumiere Summit, we will take the lead in talks on the future of global film and video and further expand the cornerstone for Korean content and companies to enter the European and global markets."

President Lee on Sept. 8 will begin his two-day schedule with President Macron. They will attend a private luncheon at the Elysee Palace and hold an expanded summit attended by delegations from both sides.

The two leaders will discuss cooperation in cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence, space, nuclear energy and biotechnology as well as stimulation of exchanges in youth and science and technology.

The same day, President Lee will attend a bilateral business roundtable with some 20 companies from the two countries. That evening, he will join President Macron and his wife for a state dinner hosted at the Elysee Palace.

On Sept. 9, President Lee will hold talks with Yael Braun-Pivet, speaker of the French National Assembly, attend a luncheon with ethnic Koreans in France and attend a meeting with Matthias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Adviser Wi said, "We will thoroughly prepare so that this state visit is a new starting point for further boosting the basis for the next 140 years, building on the trust and friendship between Korea and France accumulated over the past 140 years."

xuaiy@korea.kr