CJ, Korean Air, Hyundai Motor, and SPC Attend
President Ryu Jin Invites President Macron to Visit Korea
The Korean business community has dispatched a private delegation to France to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Korea Economic Association (KEA) announced on the 19th (local time) that it discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation with French President Emmanuel Macron at the "Korea-France Special Roundtable" held at the Palace of Versailles in France. This roundtable was part of the annual French investment promotion event, the "Choose France Summit." According to the KEA, Korea was the only country to hold a bilateral business meeting with President Macron during this year's summit.
The Korean delegation included Ryu Jin, President of the KEA; Sohn Kyungshik, Chairman of CJ; Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Korean Air; Jang Jaehoon, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor; Heo Jinsoo, President of SPC Group; and Oh Jungkang, CEO of Enchem, representing six companies. On the French side, participants included President Macron, Jean-Noel Barrot, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Francois Jacq, CEO of Air Liquide, and executives from BNP Paribas and Airbus.
President Ryu Jin said, "It is very encouraging that trade between Korea and France continues to expand as we approach the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year." He added, "I hope that through gatherings like today's, cooperation in key promising fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and decarbonization will become more active." He also requested, "To ensure that today's discussions lead to more concrete and practical cooperation, I ask President Macron to visit Korea in person next year, the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties."
Korean companies explored opportunities for cooperation in various fields such as carbon neutrality, clean energy, and defense industry during one-on-one meetings with French ministers and sessions with global CEOs held later that day. On the following day, the KEA economic delegation plans to hold the "Korea-France Business Future Dialogue" to discuss cooperation in areas including decarbonization, aerospace, mobility, and startups.
Kim Bongman, Director of International Cooperation at the KEA, stated, "Following last month's event with the President of Indonesia, we have now held meetings with President Macron of France." He added, "The KEA will continue to create opportunities to strengthen cooperation with major countries in order to further diversify economic partnerships."
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