SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) -South Korea and France are elevating bilateral ties to a “global strategic partnership” during French President Emmanuel Macron’s two-day state visit — his first to Korea since taking office in 2017 and the first by a French president in 11 years — which began Friday amid mounting geopolitical tensions.
Macron arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a two-day visit following a trip to Japan, in what French officials described as an effort to expand France’s strategic and economic role in the Indo-Pacific at a time of “strong international and regional tensions.”
The two are set make a joint declaration after the summit with President Lee Jae Myung, focused to formalize the upgrade from the “comprehensive partnership for the 21st century” established in 2004, 22 years ago, the presidential office in Seoul said.
“President Lee plans to strengthen strategic communication with France … and build a future-oriented partnership,” senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.
France, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a key European Union country, is seen by Seoul as a critical partner in addressing global security and economic challenges.
The two leaders are expected to discuss expanding cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, nuclear energy, trade and investment, as well as education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
In a contribution to French daily Le Figaro, Lee said bilateral ties must evolve beyond a traditional partnership into “strategic collaboration” encompassing key innovation sectors such as artificial intelligence and nuclear energy.
The meeting marks the third in-person exchange between Lee and Macron, following talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada last June and the G20 summit in South Africa last November.
South Korea and France were among some 40 countries that joined a videoconference hosted by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday, aimed at coordinating joint action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks followed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday that the strait could reopen “naturally,” adding that countries reliant on the waterway should take responsibility for securing it. “Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves,” he said.
Speaking in South Korea on Thursday, however, Macron dismissed the idea of a military seizure as “unrealistic.”
“It would take an indefinite amount of time, and it would expose all those who venture through this Strait to coastal risks from the Revolutionary Guards, as well as ballistic missiles,” he said.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
