South Korea and France have launched comprehensive cooperation spanning nuclear energy, offshore wind power, and advanced industries, spurred by the energy security crisis triggered by the Middle East war. The two countries are pursuing joint entry into the global nuclear market while elevating their relationship to a "Global Strategic Partnership," expanding cooperation beyond economics into the security domain.
President Lee Jae-myung said at a summit and joint press conference held at Cheongwadae on Tuesday, "We have established a foundation for cooperation extending from nuclear fuel supply to joint entry into global markets." French President Emmanuel Macron also said regarding plans to expand bilateral cooperation, "This includes the civilian nuclear sector," adding, "We can also strengthen research cooperation in areas such as nuclear fusion and laser technology."
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) signed memorandums of understanding with France's Orano and Framatome to build a cooperative framework encompassing the entire nuclear supply chain. The plan is to jointly enter the global nuclear market by combining fuel supply stability with design and maintenance capabilities.
Orano is a nuclear fuel specialist handling everything from uranium mining to enrichment, fuel manufacturing, and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, serving as a core pillar of France's nuclear supply chain. As one of the few companies possessing reprocessing technology, its strategic importance has grown amid recent instability in the Middle East and Africa. Framatome is an engineering company responsible for reactor design, key component manufacturing, and maintenance, producing major equipment such as steam generators and pressurizers while conducting nuclear plant maintenance worldwide. Électricité de France (EDF) is a major shareholder, closely linking the company to France's national nuclear strategy.
Combining Korea's construction and project management capabilities with France's fuel and design technologies is expected to significantly enhance competitiveness in the global market. The strategy appears aimed at securing the capacity to handle large-scale projects that would be difficult for a single country through a full-cycle cooperation structure covering fuel, design, and construction.
The energy crisis triggered by the Middle East war lies behind the two countries' move to strengthen cooperation in nuclear power, a critical national technology. President Lee said, "The repercussions of the Middle East war are shaking the international order, with the impact spreading to the global economy and the energy sector."
An MOU on offshore wind power was signed in the same context. KHNP and EDF will begin jointly developing the Jeonnam Yeonggwang Haema offshore wind power project. KHNP will take an equity stake while handling project management and purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), with EDF also participating through equity investment and project management.
The two countries agreed to expand cooperation not only in energy areas such as nuclear power and offshore wind but also in advanced industries including critical minerals, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum technology. President Lee said, "Through cooperation in AI, semiconductors, quantum technology, and critical mineral supply chains, we have simultaneously established foundations for new growth engines and industrial stability."
Expanded economic cooperation targets were also presented. President Lee said, "Bilateral trade reached a record $15 billion last year, but we cannot be satisfied with that," adding, "We will work together toward a goal of $20 billion by 2030." Cultural and people-to-people exchanges will also be expanded. The two countries agreed to broaden exchange foundations through amendments to their working holiday agreement and improvements to aviation agreements, pursuing "an era of one million people-to-people exchanges."
Meanwhile, President Macron said at the joint press conference, "South Korea and France understand the importance of multilateralism," emphasizing, "We must build a multilateral resolution framework amid an unstable international environment." This is interpreted as a message that uncertainty in the international order should be mitigated through multilateral diplomacy amid a trend of U.S.-centered unilateralism.
In line with this stance, President Macron invited President Lee to the Group of Seven (G7) summit to be held in France in June. The two countries also agreed to pursue co-hosting an international film and audiovisual industry summit in September.