South Korean President Lee Jae Myung Conducts State Visit to France

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung completed a four day visit to France, which included a two day state visit to Paris and a stop in Nice. The trip was organized to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. On Wednesday, President Lee met with Yael Braun Pivet, the speaker of the French National Assembly, to discuss expanding cooperation in trade, investment, advanced technology, and social policy. During the meeting, Lee expressed hope that the two countries would open a new chapter of cooperation for the next 140 years.

As part of the diplomatic itinerary, President Lee met with Mathias Cormann, the secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Lee emphasized the need to address economic polarization to reduce conflicts between countries and individuals, while Cormann highlighted the OECD's focus on open markets and rules based trade.

Cultural events also featured prominently during the visit. Singer Hwasa performed at a state dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday. Additionally, First Lady Kim Hea Kyung and First Lady Brigitte Macron visited Hanjimania, an exhibition of traditional Korean mulberry paper held at the Hotel de la Marine in Paris.

During a meeting with Korean residents in France, President Lee stated that he is prioritizing frequent overseas summit diplomacy early in his presidency because his term is constitutionally limited. This comment follows suspicions from opposition lawmakers that Lee may be seeking reelection through constitutional revision. While the current Constitution prohibits changes to the presidential system from applying to the sitting president, Lee and the ruling Democratic Party have advocated for a shift to a four year, two term system.