Lee heads to France for state visit, summit with Macron

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By Park Boram

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung departed Sunday for a four-day visit to France that will include a summit meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on ways to enhance cooperation in security, the economy and other areas.

The trip follows Macron's visit to South Korea in April. It also comes as the two countries mark this year the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Lee will first travel to Nice to attend the Lumiere Summit on the future of cinema in nearby Saint-Paul-de-Vence before making a two-day state visit to Paris from Tuesday.

In the French capital, Lee will hold a one-on-one luncheon with Macron, followed by a summit and a dinner banquet hosted by the French president and his wife, Brigitte Macron, at the Elysee Palace.

Lee will also attend a business roundtable involving 20 companies from both countries in Paris.

The trip is expected to flesh out the "global strategic partnership" forged between the two countries during Macron's April visit to South Korea that seeks to enhance the countries' bilateral cooperation in major sectors, such as security, the economy and people-to-people exchanges, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said earlier.

The upcoming Lee-Macron summit may also include discussions on cooperation in nuclear power plants and troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, a presidential official has noted.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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