Actualités • Evènements
First Visit of the Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in France
The South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited France from June 20th to 21st to expand bilateral cooperation and support Busan in its bid to host the 2030 World Expo. He called on France to support this project during the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, based in Paris. If successful, the mega-event could generate economic benefits for Korea valued at $48 billion.
During this visit, Yoon also met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss their Indo-Pacific strategies, cooperation in new industries such as AI, human rights and international security issues.
The two head of State specifically mentioned cooperation within the framework of the United Nations on North Korean threats, as South Korea, recently elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2024 to 2025, plans to work closely with France, one of the five permanent members.
In the economic domain, strengthening bilateral partnership was also one of the cornerstones of the visit, especially regarding space, aerospace and defense industries.
"Korea and France have grown and developed together based on solidarity and cooperation over our 137-year history of diplomatic relations“, Yoon said. “Our two countries have developed a close partnership in various fields, sharing the universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law," a joint press statement by the presidential offices added.
A large delegation made up of government officials, including Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Lee Chang-yang, Minister of Trade, as well as more than 205 representatives of the business community, including leaders of Samsung, SK, or Hyundai Motors, also went to France on this occasion. This is the largest business delegation that has accompanied President Yoon so far, showing the dynamism of our relations!
