KB News Desk
France and South Korea are moving to deepen their “strategic solidarity” as wars in Europe and the Middle East expose how closely their security and economic interests have become intertwined, French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux said Tuesday.
Speaking at a Bastille Day reception in Seoul, Bertoux portrayed bilateral relations as entering a more consequential phase, extending beyond traditional diplomacy and trade to encompass military security, vulnerable shipping routes and emerging technologies.
“We will strengthen our strategic solidarity, as our security interests are interconnected,” Bertoux said. “The Russian-North Korean war of aggression against Ukraine is a tragic illustration of this.”
Bertoux’s remarks reflected mounting concern in Europe and Asia over North Korea’s military support for Russia and the broader implications of the war for Indo-Pacific security.
Bertoux said the same interdependence increasingly applies to economic security.
“Our economic security is also interdependent,” he said. “We are working together to facilitate the resumption of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The strategic waterway, a critical artery for global energy shipments, has remained severely disrupted by renewed strikes between the United States and Iran and attacks on commercial vessels.
The violence resumed despite the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed in June, which declared an end to the war and reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic. The conflict began on Feb. 28 following joint strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel.
Beyond security, Bertoux said bilateral cooperation now spans a wide range of strategic technologies and global challenges.
“On major challenges such as artificial intelligence, space, quantum technology and decarbonization; on protecting our shared assets — the oceans, the climate and biodiversity; and on strengthening exchanges between our peoples, particularly amongst our young people, we are working hand in hand,” he said.
Bertoux highlighted a milestone coinciding with an unusually dense series of presidential-level engagements as France and South Korea mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
“There are some years that count double or even triple. This is clearly the case for 2026,” Bertoux said. “I am delighted by the richness of our bilateral agenda, to which many of you are contributing very directly. I would like to thank you most sincerely for this.”
Bertoux said the partnership remained rooted in a shared history stretching from the arrival of the first French missionaries and the signing of the founding treaty on June 4, 1886, to French support for Korean independence activists during the Japanese occupation and the sacrifices of the French United Nations Battalion during the Korean War. Bertoux also cited landmark economic cooperation in sectors including nuclear energy and railways.
“Today, we are shaping the future of our security, our economies and our societies together, following the roadmap set out by our two presidents,” Bertoux said.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to South Korea on April 2 and 3 marked the first of three presidential-level engagements planned within six months.
During the summit, Seoul and Paris elevated their Comprehensive Partnership for the 21st Century, established in 2004, to a Global Strategic Partnership. The upgrade, 22 years in the making, set out priorities for cooperation in security, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology and critical minerals.
Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Macron met again during the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains from June 15 to 17, which South Korea attended as an invited partner under France’s G7 presidency.
A third major engagement is planned for September in France.
On Sept. 7, the two countries will co-chair the Lumiere Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in southern France. The gathering will bring together leading figures from the international film and moving-image industries to examine the upheaval reshaping the sector and forge new partnerships.
Named after the Lumiere brothers, pioneers of cinema, the summit will be followed by Lee’s state visit to Paris at Macron’s invitation.
Bertoux said the visit would allow the two leaders to assess progress since their April summit and chart the next stage of bilateral relations.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to take stock of the progress made since the April summit and, above all, the heads of state will set out new prospects for Franco-Korean relations,” he said.
Drawing on ties established in 1886, Bertoux portrayed France and South Korea as partners bound not only by history and cultural exchange, but also by the pressures of an increasingly fractured global order.
“Drawing strength from our 140-year friendship, we look to the future of our bilateral relationship with confidence and enthusiasm,” he said.
