President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to France, met with local filmmakers on the 7th local time on the occasion of his attendance at the Lumiere Summit, a film and video industry summit held near Nice.

The meeting, held under the title "Next Scene, Talking About the Tomorrow of K-Content," was attended by director Lee Chang-dong, who directed the film "Peppermint Candy," director July Jung, who directed the film "A Girl at My Door," actors Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon, and others.

In addition, Kim Min-young, Vice President of Content for Netflix Asia Pacific (excluding India), was also present.

At the meeting, President Lee assessed, "(The film industry) has achieved remarkable growth globally in less than 100 years. There are few countries where the free political environment and democracy, which are the foundation and roots of culture and arts, have developed like this."

However, President Lee expressed concern, saying, "I actually have some worries about South Korea's film industry. It seems that while the fruits have grown very large and well, the problem is that the small trees and grass underneath have all died, leaving only a few large ancient trees." He added, "I worry about how long these ancient trees can last. We need an ecosystem where small trees can continuously grow."

In particular, he diagnosed, "The ladder has been broken. The production of profitable blockbuster films is left to global investors, and the government needs to fill the gap in supporting movies where commercial viability is not guaranteed, but (the current situation) looks glamorous on the outside while rotting on the inside."

This is interpreted as a message expressing concern over the deepening polarization within the film industry and the possibility that independent films and others might fail to properly sustain their existence.

Addressing director Lee Chang-dong, he emphasized that opportunities should return to filmmakers who have not yet received attention, saying, "Directors like you have worked hard. Now, shouldn't younger generations also get a chance?"

President Lee also received policy recommendations from the attendees.

Director Lee Chang-dong pointed out that investment in the film industry is shrinking, stating, "A structural crisis has begun. Even the movie I made could not secure investment domestically."

After the meeting, President Lee took selfies with the attendees.

Subsequently, President Lee and the First Lady attended the official Lumiere Summit luncheon alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and the French First Lady, where President Lee paid tribute to all attendees working for the development of the film and video industries.

(Photo: Yonhap News)