President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a working luncheon during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, June 17, 2025. Korea Times file
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung are set to host French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, at a private dinner Thursday, setting the tone for a state visit marking 140 years of diplomatic ties.
The dinner comes ahead of official events scheduled for Friday and marks Macron’s first visit to Korea since taking office in 2017, as well as his third meeting with Lee following encounters at the G7 and G20.
Macron and his wife arrived Thursday afternoon at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where they were received by government officials before visiting the War Memorial of Korea to lay a wreath at a monument honoring French soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. The couple were then scheduled to Sangchunjae, a traditional hanok-style residence located on the grounds of Cheong Wa Dae, for the dinner.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, visits the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul during his state visit, Thursday. Yonhap
The six-course meal will be structured under themes including “spring-borne ties” and “a jewel box of Korean memory and light,” and is designed to reflect harmony and friendship between the two countries. A selection of white and red wines, along with traditional Korean liquor, will be served.
Michelin-starred chef Son Jong-won will present a curated menu blending Korean and French cuisine and personally serve the main course.
The evening will conclude with a performance by Park Da-ul, a virtuoso of the geomungo, a traditional Korean zither. His program features “Secret Garden,” a composition inspired by the secluded arboreal grounds of Changdeok Palace, followed by “Geomun-toy.” The latter is an experimental work that showcases Park’s signature avant-garde style, using unconventional techniques and electronic layering to reimagine the ancient instrument’s resonant, percussive timber.
As a gift, Lee prepared a reinterpretation of a jeweled ornament originally presented by King Gojong in 1886 to French President Marie François Sadi Carnot, symbolizing a renewed commitment to bilateral ties. For the French president’s wife, Brigitte Macron, the hosts arranged a ceramic tableware set and signed albums from K-pop groups including BTS, Stray Kids and G-Dragon.
At the presidential guest residence, welcome gifts include an Eiffel Tower-inspired craft decorated in the colors of the French flag, a traditional Korean lucky pouch-shaped bread and macarons in the style of Amiens, Macron’s hometown.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Dining and Cooking