'The Man Who Created K-pop' Lee Suman Meets French President: "Let's Establish a Local Office"

A Conversation at the Elysee Palace: "Lee Suman is a Creative Leader"
Proposal to Establish a Local A2O Office in France

Lee Suman, Key Producer and Visionary Leader of A2O Entertainment, visited France and met with President Emmanuel Macron.

According to A2O, Lee Suman met with President Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on June 20 (local time), where they had a conversation on the topics of K-pop and cultural exchange between Korea and France. This was announced by the company on June 22.

This meeting took place as part of the 'France Music Week Summit' attended by Lee Suman. The event brought together over 100 global leaders from the world music industry to discuss the future of music, including Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube, and Olivier Nusse, CEO of Universal Music France.

On this day, Lee Suman was introduced as "the person who created K-pop" and engaged in conversation with President Macron. President Macron described Lee Suman as "a global creator, entrepreneur, and producer," and personally proposed the establishment of a local A2O office in France.

Emmanuel Macron (left), President of France, shaking hands with Lee Suman, Key Producer and Visionary Leader of A2O Entertainment
[Image source=Provided by A2O Entertainment] Yonhap News Agency

President Macron also pledged active cooperation to promote collaboration with French creators. In addition, he instructed Minister of Culture Rachida Dati to review concrete measures for implementation, continuing substantive discussions.

A2O emphasized that this meeting holds significance beyond a simple greeting, stating, "It is highly symbolic that the highest-ranking official in France is paying close attention to the K-pop industry and Lee Suman's cultural philosophy."

Meanwhile, Lee Suman was the only speaker of Asian origin at this event. He delivered a message on 'Culture Technology,' which he has long advocated, as well as the rights of creators in the age of AI.

Lee Suman stated, "Fans are no longer just consumers; we are entering an era of prosumers, where they can recreate and participate in content, and even receive economic rewards in the process." He added, "The rights of original creators must be even more firmly protected."