[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung, currently making a state visit to France, has held a one-hour summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation regarding the Strait of Hormuz issue.

Our first report today comes from Paris, with reporter Park Yerim.

[Reporter]

French President Emmanuel Macron warmly greets President Lee Jae-myung with an embrace upon his arrival at the Élysée Palace for the South Korea-France summit.

Meeting again five months after President Macron's visit to South Korea last April, the two leaders held discussions alongside their respective delegations for one hour.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz issue, which had drawn significant attention even before the talks, the two leaders agreed to maintain close cooperation to ensure stability in the strait and freedom of navigation.

This reaffirmed the commitment to contribute expressed during the multilateral summit on Hormuz led by the United Kingdom and France last April.

[President Lee Jae-myung : We have agreed to continue our close cooperation so that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the stability of global supply chains can be restored as soon as possible.]

[Emmanuel Macron / French President : The multinational mission is peaceful in nature, and we will cooperate as soon as the relevant consent is secured.]

However, a high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official drew a line against a broad interpretation, stating that the discussions should not be defined as involving troop deployment.

The explanation was that the talks were limited to exchanging views on how to contribute to the international coalition for free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The official added that nothing has been decided yet regarding cooperation on troop deployment, and the matter remains under review.

The two countries also agreed to expand cooperation in the security and economic sectors.

They decided to strengthen security and defense industry cooperation by revising the General Security of Military Information Agreement, and signed memorandums of understanding spanning various areas, from cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and semiconductors to culture, economy, and industry.

President Lee subsequently attended a business roundtable, where he listened to business leaders including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon regarding measures to foster cooperation between enterprises of both nations.

On the final day of his state visit to France, President Lee is set to meet with the President of the French National Assembly, attend a luncheon meeting with local Korean compatriots, and conclude his schedule by receiving the Secretary-General of the OECD before departing for home.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News) Reportedly filmed by Yoon Hyeong | Video edited by Jeon Mingyu