140th Anniversary of Korea-France Diplomatic Ties: Future Industry Alliance Discussed in 'AI and Biotechnology'

To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations, business leaders from Korea and France have presented a blueprint for cooperation in future industries such as biotechnology, decarbonization, and deep tech, and discussed ways to further expand economic cooperation between the two countries.

The closing ceremony of the "3rd Korea-France Economic Future Dialogue" held at the FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 3rd is in progress. From the left: Jin Ryu, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, Minseok Kim, Prime Minister, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Fran?ois Jacob, Chairman of the French Business Association. Photo by Hyeonji Kwon

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The Korea Economic Association (KEA) announced on the 3rd that it co-hosted the '3rd Korea-France Economic Future Dialogue' with the French Business Confederation (MEDEF) at FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul. The event, organized in conjunction with French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Korea, was attended by President Macron, Prime Minister Minseok Kim, and a total of about 300 representatives from both countries' business and government sectors.

On the French side, high-ranking government officials such as Clara Chappaz, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Affairs, and Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy and Finance, attended along with an economic delegation of about 70 members. More than 200 leaders from major French companies including AirLiquide, Sanofi, Quandela, Pasqal, and BNP Paribas were also present. On the Korean side, major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG, POSCO, GS, Hanjin, and Doosan participated.

Jin Ryu, President of the Korea Economic Association, emphasized, "France has always been a core economic partner sharing the values of liberal democracy with Korea, and is also the birthplace of global K-culture. I ask for the active support of both governments so that the Korea-France partnership, which now extends to jointly designing the future industrial landscape, can be translated into concrete achievements."

Prime Minister Minseok Kim stated, "The cooperation between our two countries, which has driven the advancement of core industries such as nuclear power, aviation, and railways, is now expanding beyond traditional sectors into cutting-edge and innovative partnerships, which raises great expectations."

President Macron also delivered a message of support, highly valuing the future potential of economic cooperation between the two countries. President Macron attended the commemorative tree-planting ceremony for the 'Sky Garden,' a French-style garden established by the Korea Economic Association on the rooftop of FKI Tower to mark the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations.

During the forum, discussions centered on cooperation between Korea and France in three future industries: biotechnology, decarbonization (energy and mobility), and deep tech (AI and quantum). In the biotechnology session, participants included Olivier Rousseau, Country Manager of Servier Korea; Kyungeun Bae, CEO of Sanofi Korea; and Yonghyun Cho, Head of Kakao Healthcare. Together they explored ways to secure global competitiveness in next-generation biotechnology by combining Korea's manufacturing and clinical capabilities with France's strengths in research and capital.

In the decarbonization session, Ken Ramirez, Executive Vice President and Head of Hydrogen at Hyundai Motor; Changwon Yoon, Head of the Hydrogen Low Carbon Research Institute at POSCO Holdings; Felicie Burel, CEO of OP Mobility; and Ronnie Chalmers, Vice President of AirLiquide, participated. They shared the view that decarbonization is a key pillar of industrial resilience and discussed specific directions for bilateral cooperation, including the joint promotion of hydrogen initiatives.

In the deep tech (AI and quantum) session, Clara Chappaz, Minister Delegate for AI and Digital Affairs of France, served as chair, with panelists including Niccolo Somaschi, CEO of Quandela; Georges-Olivier Reymond, Co-founder of Pasqal; Seonghyuk Kim, President of the Korea Quantum Industry Association; and Joongu Lee, CEO of Qunova Computing. The discussion focused on creating synergy between France's fundamental science and Korea's industrial application capabilities, as well as accelerating the commercialization of quantum computing and AI models.

Meanwhile, a total of 12 cooperation MOUs were signed in the fields of energy, advanced technology, and biotechnology, including an MOU between Kakao Healthcare and Sanofi for the development of an AI-based solution, and a business cooperation MOU between GS Caltex and Veolia. Companies from both countries agreed to continue expanding industrial and investment cooperation going forward.

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