What cooperation areas did Lee Jae Myung highlight between Korea and France in Paris?

Lee said Korea and France have a broad range of sectors for cooperation, including artificial intelligence, mobility, energy, beauty, culture and arts. He said the two countries could also find new market opportunities through closer collaboration between companies and governments.

What business plans were discussed at the Korea-France roundtable in Paris?

The roundtable focused on joint projects and investment in AI, mobility, energy and beauty. It also included plans for cooperation between Samsung Electronics Co. and Mistral AI, as well as between Mistral AI and Naver on the sovereign AI market.

Lee says Korea, France have broad range of areas for bilateral cooperation

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung said Korea and France have a broad range of areas for cooperation at a business roundtable in Paris on Tuesday. The meeting brought together government and corporate officials from both countries to seek joint projects and investment in artificial intelligence, mobility, energy and beauty. Lee also pointed to possible cooperation in culture and arts and said joint research and development could improve investment efficiency.

Key Facts

The roundtable discussed plans for investment cooperation between Samsung Electronics Co. and France’s Mistral AI.
The discussion also included a partnership between Mistral AI and Korean internet portal Naver to expand into the sovereign AI market.
Lee said joint research and development and investment in new industries could shorten development time and improve investment efficiency.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 9, 2026 8:08 am KST

President Lee Jae Myung, front row fifth from left, and French President Emmanuel Macron, front row sixth from left, pose with participants at a business roundtable in Paris, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

PARIS — President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday highlighted a broad range of areas for cooperation between Korea and France, raising the prospect of new market opportunities through closer bilateral collaboration.

Lee made the remarks at a business roundtable that brought together dozens of government and corporate officials from Korea and France in Paris to explore joint business opportunities, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.

The event, in particular, focused on seeking joint projects and investment in the artificial intelligence, mobility, energy and beauty industries.

The discussion included plans to pursue investment cooperation between Samsung Electronics Co. and France's Mistral AI as well as a partnership between the French firm and Korean internet portal Naver to expand into the sovereign AI market.

After hearing from participants, Lee said he could conclude that Korea and France have a broad range of sectors in which they could cooperate, according to Kang.

Joint research and development and investment in new industries could shorten the time needed for development pursued independently and improve investment efficiency, Lee also said.

In addition to advanced industries, culture and arts could be new areas in which the two countries could work together to explore market opportunities, Lee said, expressing hope for enhanced cooperation between Korean and French companies and governments.

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