Samsung chief mixes it up with other corporate titans in Paris

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended a banquet along with the heads of Tesla, Coca-Cola and YouTube in Paris.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong attends a banquet co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at the Louvre Museum in Paris on July 25. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with a number of heads of global firms including Tesla, Coca-Cola and YouTube to explore business opportunities in Paris during his latest visit to the city for the 2024 Olympics.

Lee flew to the French capital on July 24, in line with Samsung's three-decade sponsorship of the Olympics, a legacy that began in 1988 with the Seoul Olympic Games.

Lee attended a luncheon hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on July 25, where he met around 40 chiefs of global companies including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks and LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault.

More meetings are scheduled during Lee's stay in the city with big names including Peter Wennink, the former CEO of ASML, a Dutch chip equipment maker, for deeper discussions on a potential partnership, the company said Sunday.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong watches the mens' individual sabre at the Grand Palais in Palace on July 27. [YONHAP]

"The Olympics are an important stage for business leaders to discover new future engines and cooperation opportunities with clients as chiefs of many global firms gather in the host city for networking," the Korean chipmaker said in a statement on Sunday. "We anticipate that the exchanges between chiefs can be connected to a strategic partnership later on."

Samsung is only Korean company among the 15 firms of the Olympic Partners program, the highest level of sponsorship. The value of Samsung's brand jumped 30-fold to $91.4 billion in 2023 since 1999 when it joined the program.

Lee's visit to Olympics marks his first in 12 years since his last visit to the Games in London in 2012.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]