Macron is due in Seoul for a two-day visit, where he will hold summit talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday.

The two leaders are expected to sign several memorandums of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation, South Koreas presidential office said.

The visit will be Macrons first toSouth Koreasince taking office in 2017 and the first by a French president in 11 years. He is also the first European leader to make a state visit since Lee took office.

The two leaders plan to discuss cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment,artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, nuclear energy, as well as science and technology, education, culture, and people to people exchanges, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.

The meeting will be the third in-person exchange between Lee and Macron, following talks on the sidelines of theG7summit in Canada last June and theG20summit in South Africa last November.

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War backdrop

Before arriving inSeoul, Macron held talks in Tokyo with Japans prime minister Sanae Takaichi, where the two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation on critical mineral supply chains, civilian nuclear technology and artificial intelligence.

They also said they would coordinate efforts to push for an end to the US-Israeli war withIranand the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments.

Because the international situation is so challenging, I believe there is great significance in the leaders ofJapanandFrancedeepening their personal ties and making our cooperation even stronger, Takaichi said after the talks.

Macron said he shared Japans position on restoring freedom of navigation in the strait. Japan normally gets around 90 percent of its oil from the Middle East and has begun drawing on its oil reserves as energy costs rise.

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Anniversary year

In Seoul, discussions are also expected to cover international issues, including security on the Korean Peninsula and the ongoing crisis in theMiddle East, the presidential office said.

Macrons visit comes as France and South Korea mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The two countries established formal ties in 1886 with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between France and the Joseon Dynasty.

(with newswires)

Originally published on RFI