Partenaires • La Chambre
FKCCI, Business France and CCE join forces to strengthen economic ties between France and Korea
On December 18, 2023, the French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Business France - Seoul office and the CCEs - Korean branch (French Foreign Trade Advisors) to establish a "Team France" in Korea, marking a historical moment, as South Korea became the first country in the world to host such local "Team France".
The signing was formalized between Mr. David-Pierre JALICON, CEO of D.P.J. & Partners Architecture and Chairman of the FKCCI, Mr. Matthieu LEFORT, Director of Business France - Seoul office, and Mr. Pascal ROBIN, General Manager of Sanofi Vaccines Korea and Chairman of the CCEs - Korean branch. This ceremony took place under the auspices of Mr. Olivier BECHT, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad, and in the presence of H. E. Mr. Philippe BERTOUX, Ambassador of France to Korea, and a delegation of French business leaders led by Mr. François Jackow, CEO of Air Liquide and Chairman of the France-South Korea Business Council of MEDEF International.
This LOI reflects the longstanding cooperation between FKCCI, Business France and the CCEs, to bolster economic ties between France and Korea, and the commitment of the Parties to support French exports, to promote the attractiveness of France, and to strengthen the coherence and effectiveness of the French public system for the internationalization of French companies. The Parties aim to establish a framework for collaboration and action, named "Team France Korea," modeled after the Team France Export and Team France Invest.
In his opening remark, Mr. Olivier BECHT acknowledges the unity in between all the French economic partners in Korea, and the pivotal role plays by the FKCCI, one of the most important Chamber in Asia. He followed by recalling that Korea is an important economic partner of France, as the bilateral trade volume has increased by 30% in the last years to be almost equivalent to the exchanges of France with India or Japan, and the French investments in Korea are important in volume as well as for the Korean economy. But he also stressed a recent trade deficit with Korea and the need to boost France's attractiveness for Korean investments and attract additional Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), relying on the "Team France" in Korea to tackle this challenge.
Mr. David-Pierre JALICON underlined the unity as a landmark of the French Business Community in Korea, and said that the FKCCI is witnessing a new wave of French investments through its continuous growth as FKCCI has reached 450 members in 2023, became the 3rd international chamber of commerce in Korea, and the 6th chamber among the network of 120 French CCIs abroad.
In his remarks, Mr. Pascal ROBIN emphasized Korea’s huge potential for French companies as the country is now positioning near the top 10 global economies.
