South Korean bakery giant SPC Group said Wednesday that President Hur Jin-soo attended a dinner banquet hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at Elysee Palace in Paris earlier this week. He was the only Korean business leader to be invited to the exclusive event marking the 60th anniversary of SIAL Paris, one of the world’s largest food trade fairs.

The dinner brought together around 40 global business leaders from major food and distribution companies, including the Netherlands’ SPAR, Japan’s Marubeni, and France’s Savencia and Limagrain. SPC Group was invited in recognition of its contributions to the economic and culinary exchange between South Korea and France, according to the company.

SPC has a long history of importing key French ingredients such as flour, butter and cheese. It operates over 4,000 Paris Baguette stores in 14 countries, including the US, China and the UK.

Macron reportedly acknowledged SPC for promoting France’s high-quality food products to consumers around the world and thanked the company for its continued investment.

“If Paris Baguette was once known for introducing French bakery culture to Korea, it will now serve as a global brand that expands from France to the rest of the world,” SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in said when Paris Baguette launched its first store in France 10 years ago.

The dinner is not SPC’s first engagement with the French government. Chairman Hur previously attended the “Choose France” investment summit in 2018 and 2022 and also spearheaded initiatives such as bringing French ingredients to Korea and acquiring the French sandwich chain Lina’s.

“We hope to establish new partnerships that will enhance product quality and support Paris Baguette’s global expansion,” a company spokesperson said, expressing that the dinner provided valuable networking opportunities with global food industry leaders.