The President Attends Official Welcoming Ceremony for His State Visit to France

October 15, 2018

An official welcoming ceremony for President Moon Jae-in was held at the Arc de Triomphe at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle in northwestern Paris. President Moon began his schedule for a state visit to France in earnest with this ceremony.

France is known to receive only two to three heads of state for state visits each year. President Moon’s state visit this time is said to be extraordinarily unprecedented as it comes just two years after a 2016 state visit by the preceding Korean president.

After the playing of the two national anthems, President Moon reviewed an honor guard and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President next moved to the copper memorial plaque installed in tribute to France’s Korean War veterans and offered words of encouragement to them and their descendants attending the official welcoming ceremony. He also expressed his appreciation for their sacrifice and dedication. Of the 3,421 French soldiers who fought during the Korean War, a total of 262 lost their lives, seven went missing and 1,008 were injured.  

After the official welcoming ceremony, President Moon rode in a motorcade followed by horse guards to the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the President of France. The parade of France’s traditional mounted guards traversing downtown Paris made the official welcoming ceremony all the more special. President Moon is scheduled to have a bilateral summit with President Emmanuel Macron in the palace.