NICE, France — President Lee Jae-myung will attend the Lumiere Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, on the 7th as co-chair to discuss the future of the film and video industry. At the event, Lee and French President Emmanuel Macron will adopt a joint declaration on a global film and video industry investment cooperation initiative, under which the two countries will invest a combined 1 billion euros in their film and video sectors. Lee will also hold a meeting with directors Lee Chang-dong and Jung July and actors Sol Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon, who were invited to the summit.
Presidential Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that Lee will serve as co-chair of the Lumiere Summit, which will bring together about 200 participants including culture ministers from around the world, officials from international organizations, film and video industry experts, directors and actors. The summit, held for the first time this year, is an event to discuss the future of film and video. Macron invited South Korea to serve as co-chair country during the Korea-France summit in April.
In his opening address, Lee plans to present an agenda for responding to changes in the film and video industry environment. Together with Macron, he will also announce the Global Film and Video Industry Investment Cooperation Initiative, centered on each country investing 500 million euros, for a combined 1 billion euros, in the video industry over five years starting in 2027.
Kang said the initiative is expected to expand bold investment in the domestic film and video industry, breathing new life into the creative ecosystem and serving as an opportunity to diversify the overseas expansion of Korean content.
Lee will also hold a meeting with the Korean directors and actors invited to the summit. Attendees include director Lee Chang-dong, whose works include the films "Peppermint Candy" and "Oasis"; director Jung July, who directed "Dora" and "Next Sohee"; actor Sol Kyung-gu, who appeared in the drama "Field Mouse" and the films "Haeundae" and "Silmido"; actor Jeon Do-yeon, who appeared in the films "Secret Sunshine" and "Mantis"; actor Kim Do-yeon, who appeared in "Dora"; and Kim Min-young, vice president overseeing content for Netflix's Asia-Pacific region excluding India.
Lee plans to encourage creators active on the international stage and to listen to views on the secrets behind the success of Korean content and to a range of requests from the field. After the meeting, Lee and his wife Kim Hye-kyung will attend an official luncheon with the Macrons and other summit participants.
Following the luncheon, Lee will preside over a roundtable on film and video, holding in-depth discussions on practical cooperation measures through which regional and global players can enrich the global cultural industry via sustainable mutual growth. Participants will include figures leading the global video and content industries, such as CJ ENM, NAVER, Netflix, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Mediawan.
Lee will then meet with officials from major studios and platforms that lead the global box office and streaming markets, including Netflix, Disney, Sony and NBCUniversal, to discuss ways to strengthen Korea-U.S. cooperation in the video industry, including the production of Korean content. At the meeting, he plans to express appreciation that Motion Picture Association member companies invest more than 1 trillion won annually in Korean content, and to call for continued investment alongside full government support.
