South Korea-France Foreign Minister: ”Partnership on AI, batteries, etc. should be strengthened”

On the 7th (local time), Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol held a strategic dialogue between the French and Korean foreign ministers with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Paris.
Prior to this, Minister Cho Jae-yeol met with Emmanuel Bonn, Chief of Diplomacy at the French Presidential Office. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, Minister Cho Jae-yeol met with Emmanuel Bonn on the 8th.
The two sides discussed the trend of strengthening security in Europe and France's contribution to the region after the inauguration of the second term of the Trump administration.
They exchanged views on the role and contribution of France as the 2026 presidency in G7 cooperation, as well as issues such as establishing global norms on artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change.
Furthermore, at the fifth Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with the Foreign Ministers, in anticipation of the 140th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations next year, the issues of commemorative projects, cooperation on strengthening cooperation between the two countries, and cooperation in Europe and the Indo-Pacific were discussed.
The discussions covered a wide range of topics, including regional situations and multilateral cooperation. As measures to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, the promotion of President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Korea and the project results, the normalization of diplomatic relations1, and other topics were discussed.
The two ministers discussed the 40th anniversary commemoration events and other matters. They noted that the two countries have recently expanded cooperation in new industrial fields, such as advanced technology, AI, electric vehicle batteries, space, aviation, defense and satellites.
They agreed that the partnership between the two countries should be elevated to a strategic level from a long-term perspective by revitalizing various forums, such as the French-Korean business dialogue on the future.
They also agreed to work together to make next year's 140th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations a meaningful one from this perspective.
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He also touched on a wide range of topics, including the inauguration of the new US administration and its implications for European security, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and the India-Thailand region, and the situation in the Middle East, including Iran and Syria.
After the strategic dialogue with the foreign minister, Minister Cho Jae-yeol visited the statue of the "Unknown Soldier" located just below the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
After finding the "Grave of French Soldiers and Marines of the United Nations" and the Korean War commemorative copperplate, he offered flowers and spoke to the members of the Korean War Veterans Association who attended the ceremony, and signed the guest book.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Minister Cho Tae-yeol's visit to France is intended to deepen strategic communication between the two countries in the process of creating a new international order amid geopolitical upheaval.
"It was an opportunity for me to do that," he added.