President Yoon: "Hope to Become Partners Leaping Further with France"

On the 17th, President Yoon's Op-Ed Published in Le Figaro

President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the 17th, "Koreans hope to become partners with the French people to leap higher and farther together."

In an op-ed published in the French daily Le Figaro on the same day, President Yoon stated, "Since establishing the 'Comprehensive Partnership for the 21st Century' in 2004, the Republic of Korea and France have expanded exchanges in various fields such as politics, security, economy, culture, and education. It is now time to advance the cooperative relationship between the two countries to a new level."

President Yoon Suk-yeol (Photo by Yonhap News)

He went on to mention, "Amid the intensifying confrontation between liberal democracy and authoritarian forces, the rules-based international order and peace are under threat," expressing his willingness to cooperate with France on security issues such as the Ukraine war and North Korea's nuclear problem.

President Yoon said, "As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2024?2025, the Republic of Korea is ready to closely cooperate with France on international security," adding, "Korea will spare no effort to support the swift restoration of peace in Ukraine and intends to coordinate with France and NATO member countries in this process."

He emphasized, "We must show that acts that ignore international norms and threaten sovereignty and lives through force cannot be justified for any reason."

Regarding economic cooperation between the two countries, President Yoon stated, "We should contribute to building a stable and resilient global supply chain in the future," and added, "If Korea invests in France in areas where it has strengths such as semiconductors, batteries, and digital technology, and France cooperates with Korea in the globally competitive aerospace sector, the complementary effects will be significant."

Referring to the fact that the 2019 Korean film Parasite won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in France, as well as the popularity of K-pop artists like BTS and Blackpink in France, he evaluated, "This is because France is a country of arts that respects the value of cultural diversity," and expressed hope that "the cultural partnership between Korea and France will become even more special."

President Yoon is scheduled to attend the General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) held in Paris, France, on the 20th?21st (local time).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.