Introduction: Beyond the Celebration of 140 Years
President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to France from September 6 to 9, 2026 came at an ideal moment to take stock of relations between France and South Korea. The two countries are celebrating 140 years of diplomatic relations, but the visit was interesting for another reason: it showed just how much the relationship has changed. As a French language educator who has lived and worked in South Korea for more than two decades, I approach this relationship less from the perspective of a geopolitical specialist than as a long-term observer of the exchanges between the two countries.
France and South Korea have long enjoyed good relations, particularly in trade, education and culture. Yet they have rarely been among each other’s most obvious strategic partners. France naturally looks first towards Europe, while South Korea’s main diplomatic and security concerns are concentrated on Northeast Asia and its alliance with the United States.
The frequency of recent meetings between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Lee Jae-myung therefore deserves attention. Macron made a state visit to Seoul in April, the two leaders met again at the G7 summit in Évian in June, and September brought another high-level meeting in Paris.
More importantly, the agenda has changed. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology, nuclear energy, aerospace and defense now feature alongside the more traditional cultural and economic relationship. Two geographically distant countries are finding more reasons to work together.
From Technology Transfer to a More Balanced Partnership
Looking back at the history of Franco-Korean relations helps to measure how much has changed.
One interesting comparison can be made with the early 1990s, when François Mitterrand travelled to South Korea as France was competing to supply the technology for the country’s future high-speed railway. The eventual choice of French TGV technology involved extensive technology transfers and Korean participation in the construction of what would become the KTX network.
The episode also became connected with a much older and more sensitive issue: the Oegyujanggak royal manuscripts. They had been taken from Ganghwa Island by French forces during the 1866 military expedition launched in retaliation for the execution of French Catholic missionaries. During his 1993 visit, Mitterrand symbolically returned one manuscript. The 297 volumes eventually returned to Korea in 2011.
More than thirty years later, the contrast is striking. In the 1990s, France could still appear primarily as a provider of advanced technology to a rapidly developing South Korea. In 2026, the relationship is far more balanced. South Korea is itself a major technological and industrial power, with leading companies in semiconductors, electronics, batteries and shipbuilding.
The results of Lee’s visit reflect this transformation. Sixteen agreements and memoranda of understanding were announced, covering defense, aerospace, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technology, nuclear energy, industrial competitiveness, intellectual property, space and culture.
The story of Franco-Korean relations is therefore no longer mainly one of technology being transferred from France to Korea. It is increasingly one of two advanced economies bringing different strengths to the table.
Technology, Industry and Energy: A Practical Partnership
Technology was clearly one of the main priorities of the visit. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technologies are no longer simply commercial matters. They are increasingly connected to national security, industrial competitiveness and the need to avoid excessive dependence on a limited number of suppliers.
One concrete example was the agreement between Samsung Electronics and the French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI, illustrating the potential complementarity between Korean industrial strength and France’s developing AI sector.
Neither country can realistically expect to develop every important technology independently. Recent disruptions to global trade and supply chains have also demonstrated the risks of relying too heavily on a small number of countries or companies. Closer Franco-Korean cooperation therefore makes practical sense. It is not about turning away from existing partners, but about having more of them.
Energy follows a similar logic. Nuclear cooperation was included among the agreements reached during the visit, while a bilateral economic roundtable brought together around twenty French and Korean companies to discuss AI and quantum technology, the energy transition, health and decarbonization.
For both Paris and Seoul, diversification can reduce risks while maintaining an open international economy.
Security Cooperation, but Not a New Alliance
Defense and security were another important part of the visit. France and South Korea agreed to strengthen exchanges between their armed forces and defense industries, while cooperation on sensitive information, exercises and interoperability is also developing.
France’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific gives these developments additional importance. French military deployments such as the Pégase missions, including stopovers in South Korea, demonstrate that Paris increasingly considers the region part of its strategic environment.
However, it would be easy to read too much into this development. France is not becoming an alternative to the United States for South Korean security, and there is no Franco-Korean military alliance in the making. The alliance with the United States remains fundamental to South Korea’s defense. France instead offers another significant partner and another channel for cooperation.
France’s idea of “strategic autonomy” therefore requires some caution when applied to South Korea. The geopolitical situations of the two countries are simply too different. Nevertheless, both recognize the usefulness of maintaining a range of partnerships and preserving room for maneuver. Strong alliances and diversified partnerships do not necessarily contradict each other.
Culture, Education and a Missed Opportunity
Culture was also an important part of President Lee’s trip. On September 7, Lee and Macron co-chaired the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, with France and South Korea each announcing plans to mobilize €500 million over five years in support of their respective film and audiovisual sectors.
This cooperation makes sense. France has traditionally defended cultural diversity and supported its cinema industry, while South Korea has developed an extraordinarily successful cultural sector. Both countries also face similar challenges from streaming platforms, changing viewing habits and generative AI.
There is, however, another aspect of cultural relations that deserves attention: language.
Having taught French in Korea for more than twenty years, I have personally witnessed the gradual weakening of its position. In 2006, 7,449 candidates took French as part of the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test. By 2025, that number had fallen to 2,403 — a decline of almost 68 percent.
French is certainly not alone in facing this problem, and Japanese and Chinese now dominate much of the second foreign language provision. French nevertheless retains a significant presence. French government estimates put the number of learners in Korea at around 43,500, including approximately 26,000 pupils in 90 high schools and 6,500 students in 54 university departments.
The issue is therefore not the disappearance of French, but the erosion of a position that was considerably stronger twenty years ago. This is not a criticism of President Macron alone: the trend has developed under successive French governments. Nevertheless, a state visit celebrating 140 years of diplomatic relations could have given linguistic cooperation a more visible place.
There have been positive initiatives to encourage academic and scientific exchanges. But from a French perspective, I would have liked to see greater ambition for the promotion of French in Korea: more partnerships between universities, more twinning arrangements between secondary schools, joint student programs and stronger support for French-language education.
These initiatives may be less spectacular than cooperation in AI, energy or defense, but over the long term they matter. Diplomatic relations are maintained not only by governments and companies, but also by people who know the other country, understand its culture and, ideally, speak its language.
Promoting French culture while allowing the French language to lose ground would be a rather paradoxical form of cultural diplomacy.
From Symbolism to Substance
State visits inevitably contain a great deal of symbolism. Ceremonies, declarations and agreements are part of the exercise. The more important question is what remains once the visit is over.
The September meetings showed that France and South Korea now have more reasons to cooperate than they did even a decade ago. Technology, energy, defense and economic security have joined culture, education and trade as important parts of the relationship. Not every agreement will produce immediate results, and the real test will be implementation.
But there is also a more human dimension to this relationship. As a French citizen who has lived in South Korea for more than two decades, and as the father of a child who has grown up between both cultures, I cannot see closer relations between France and Korea only in terms of diplomacy, trade or strategic interests. They also represent something much simpler and, perhaps, more important.
The relationship between our two countries is a reminder that nations do not have to become alike in order to grow closer. France can remain France and Korea can remain Korea, each preserving its sovereignty, language, culture and identity, while learning from the other and building something together. The same is true of people. When cultures meet, they do not necessarily lose themselves; they can also enrich one another.
At a time when international relations are too often described through rivalry, division and confrontation, this may be the most optimistic lesson of the 140th anniversary. Cooperation between countries is ultimately also about people meeting, understanding each other, living together and sometimes building families that belong naturally to both worlds.
After 140 years of diplomatic relations, France and South Korea have plenty of shared history to celebrate. If the relationship continues to bring their people closer while allowing each country to remain fully itself, then its significance goes beyond the agreements signed during a state visit. It becomes, in its own modest way, an example of what international relations can achieve at their best.
Marc Demeereleere
Assistant Professor
European Studies Major, Dongduk Women’s University