S Korea-France-first ladies

▲ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's wife, first lady Kim Hea Kyung (4th from R), and her French counterpart, Brigitte Macron (3rd from L), pose for a photo during their joint visit to an exhibition in Paris on Sept. 8, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's wife, first lady Kim Hea Kyung (L), and her French counterpart, Brigitte Macron, are seated side by side during their joint visit to an exhibition in Paris on Sept. 8, 2026. (Yonhap)

By Park Boram

PARIS, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean first lady Kim Hea Kyung and her French counterpart, Brigitte Macron, on Tuesday visited an exhibition featuring artworks made with 'hanji,' or traditional Korean paper, in Paris.

The joint exhibition visit to Hotel de La Marine, which was staging "Hanjimania" as part of Paris Design Week, came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is visiting France from Sunday to Wednesday for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong.

The two first ladies heard from the South Korean and French directors of the show and participating artists about the show's meaning and the process of creating the artworks, and sat side by side inside a hanji artwork resembling a partitioned room.

Kim spoke about the features of hanji with Macron and explained Seoul's efforts to have the traditional knowledge and skills associated with hanji inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

The first ladies joined a performance involving the addition of the final touches to a hanji artwork, clapping and hugging each other after successfully completing the task.

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