PARIS — South Korea and France signed multiple agreements Tuesday that will strengthen their bilateral cooperation in national defense, the defense industry and other areas, including military information protection, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said. Lee made the announcement in a joint press event with French President Emmanuel Macron on the outcome of their summit at the Elysee Palace. The South Korean president began a two-day state visit to the French capital earlier in the day as the two countries seek to strengthen their partnership on the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. "In order to jointly respond to uncertainties facing the international order, (we) agreed to make tangible progress in cooperation on defense and security," Lee said. The two sides signed a pact to upgrade a military secret information protection agreement reached during the last Lee-Macron summit held in Seoul in April, the South Korean president said. The agreed-upon upgrade will serve to further sharpen the framework for information sharing between the two countries, he added