[Anchor]

Amid mounting pressure from the United States for troop deployment, President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a state visit to France, held a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders agreed to continue close bilateral cooperation to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Park Yerim reports from Paris.

[Reporter]

French President Emmanuel Macron greets President Lee Jae-myung with an embrace upon his arrival at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

Meeting again five months after President Macron's state visit to South Korea last April, the two leaders held a one-hour summit and reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation on the Strait of Hormuz issue.

[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 a peaceful one, and we will cooperate as soon as the relevant consent is secured.]

President Lee's remarks are interpreted as signaling a willingness to play an active role regarding the Strait of Hormuz amid intense U.S. pressure for troop deployment, while also leaving the door open for cooperation with the broader international community rather than solely relying on the United States.

However, a high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official urged caution, stating that the discussions between the two leaders should not be framed as concerning troop deployment.

The official explained that the talks merely focused on how to build international solidarity for safe navigation in the strait, similar to the UK and France-led multilateral summit on Hormuz held via video link last April, in which President Lee participated.

Meanwhile, President Lee met with French National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet to request parliamentary support for the memorandums of understanding signed between South Korea and France in the fields of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, culture, and security.

Concluding his state visit to France with a meeting with the OECD Secretary-General, President Lee will soon embark on his return journey.

Cheong Wa Dae assessed that the state visit served as an opportunity to strengthen economic and security cooperation with France and expand diplomacy toward Europe.

(Video Shooting: Yoon Hyeong, Video Editing: Oh Young-taek, Design: Han Heung-soo)