President Lee Jae-myung Attends State Dinner Hosted by Macron, Calling South Korea and France 'Copain' Sharing Bread

President Lee Jae-myung, who is currently on a state visit to France, has attended a state dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Kang Yoo-jung said in a written briefing that 17 key figures from the South Korean government, business, and cultural sectors also attended the state dinner, making it an occasion to strengthen practical cooperative relations between the two countries on the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and France.

From the business sector, attendees included Ryu Jin, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries; Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong; LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun; Hyungsung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon; LG Electronics President Ryu Jae-chul; Hyundai Motor President Sung Kim; Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon; Hanwha TotalEnergies CEO Na Sang-seob; Celltrion CEO Seo Jin-seok; Cosmax CEO Choi Kyung; and Qunova Computing CEO Lee Joon-koo.

From the cultural sector, attendees included Nexon Korea Co-CEO Kang Dae-hyun, SLL CEO Park Jun-seo, Busan International Film Festival Chairman Park Kwang-su, Korean Film Council Chairperson Han Sang-jun, Korea Creative Content Agency President Kim Yoon-ji, and singer HWASA.

In his dinner speech, President Lee said, "When laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe this morning, I met veterans who participated in the Battle of Jipyeongni, and tears welled up in my eyes," proposing, "Based on the 140 years of friendship and solidarity built by South Korea and France, let us broaden the horizons of future cooperation, including nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology, critical minerals, culture, and human exchanges."

He continued, "Through this visit, I feel like I have become a 'copain' with President Macron, a French word meaning 'a true friend with whom you share bread,'" adding, "I pray for the eternal friendship of our two countries and the brilliant future we will build together."

At the event, President Lee presented President Macron with a 'Celadon Gayageum,' a craftwork miniaturizing a gayageum (traditional Korean string instrument) into celadon.

This gesture recalled the occasion when President Macron watched a performance of traditional Korean string instruments during his state visit to South Korea in April of this year, and took into consideration President Macron's deep appreciation for music, such as winning a piano competition during his school days.

In addition, he presented French and Korean editions of author Han Kang's books 'We Do Not Part', 'Human Acts', and 'The Vegetarian'.

This was also a gift recalling how President Macron mentioned author Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance speech during his state visit.

To First Lady Brigitte Macron, he presented pianist Cho Sung-jin's 'Complete Ravel Piano Works' and a mother-of-pearl clutch bag.

Taking the opportunity of the state dinner, President Macron conferred France's highest order of merit, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, upon President Lee, and the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit upon First Lady Kim Hye-kyung.

Senior Secretary Kang explained that this is a high tribute recognizing their contribution to promoting friendly relations between South Korea and France, expressing the highest level of respect.

(Photo: Provided by Joint Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.