By Lee Hana

President Moon Jae-in, on a state visit to France, delivered a message of peace for the Korean Peninsula at a welcoming ceremony at the Hotel de Ville, the building housing the local administration of Paris, on Oct. 16.

"The Korean Peninsula is currently at a major turning point in world history. The Korean Peninsula is gathering the strength and wisdom to dissolve the last Cold War structure that remains on our planet. We are working to move towards an era of peace and unity," said the president. 

"I, along with the citizens of Korea, will join hands with the international community to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Just as France gave to mankind freedom, equality and fraternity, I hope that the Korean Peninsula will become a beacon of hope for peace," he said. 

Prior to the welcoming ceremony, President Moon held a meeting with Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and let her know that the two Koreas had agreed to participate as one team in upcoming international sporting competitions.

The president said that the inter-Korean team would participate in the Summer Olympic Games in 2032, and asked that Mayor Hidalgo help the inter-Korean team participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. 

The same day, President Moon held a meeting with French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to discuss ways to expand cooperation in such areas as denuclearization, trade and commerce. 

The President said that he hoped to expand the reach of Korean products in the French market, to maintain the mutually beneficial relationship in trade and commerce. He also urged the French Government to take an active interest in protecting their business relationship, given the European Union's provisional safeguard duties on steel imported from Korea. 

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