(Refiles to fix dateline on story)
SEOUL, April 3 (Reuters) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to upgrade relations between the countries to a “global strategic partnership,” Korea’s Blue House said in a statement on Friday.
Macron arrived in South Korea on Thursday for a two-day state visit after also visiting Japan and is due to hold a summit with Lee in Seoul later on Friday.
It is the first state visit by a French president since 2015 and French officials have said the trip aims to strengthen France’s strategic and economic role in the region at a time of “strong international and regional tensions.”
Macron is scheduled to meet the CEOs of Samsung, Naver and Hyundai Motor during the trip as he seeks to boost French exports to South Korea and attract Korean investment into France’s industrial and technology sectors, the officials said.
The two leaders will have a lunch after their summit, accompanied by about 140 government officials and business executives from both countries. Felix, a member of the Kpop boy band Stray Kids who has been named an honorary ambassador to France, will also attend, Lee’s office said.
The French president is scheduled to deliver a speech at Yonsei University in Seoul after the summit, and attend a business forum alongside Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, according to the Blue House.
In an interview with Le Figaro before the summit, Lee said ties with France must go beyond partnership and become a pursuit of strategic collaboration that includes artificial intelligence and nuclear energy which are key to innovation.
South Korean exports to France stood at $6.4 billion in 2025, while imports stood at $8.6 billion.
($1 = 1,505.8000 won)
(Reporting by Heejin Kim in Seoul and Gabriel Stargardter in ParisEditing by Ed Davies)
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