There is a small community of French people in Korea.

History

French people began coming to Korea as early as the seventeenth century, when

French Catholic , native_name_lang = fr , image = 060806-France-Paris-Notre Dame.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris , abbreviation = , type ...

missionaries first came to the country. However, most missionaries came after the 1886 establishment of relations between

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

; the treaty signed between the two countries gave French missionaries the right to evangelise in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Distribution

There were an estimated 5,343 French nationals in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Most are employed by French multinationals operating in the country. The largest concentration can be found in the

Seorae Village Seorae Village, sometimes nicknamed "Montmartre", due to its hilltop location, or sometimes "French Village", is a small, affluent French enclave in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is home to about 560 French people, roughly 40% of ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Seocho-gu Seocho District () is one of the 25 '' gu'' (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is generally referred to as a part of Greater Gangnam Area, along with Gangnam District. As of 2022, Seocho District ra ...

district, which because of its location on a hill is often compared to

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Korea's only school using French as the

medium of instruction A medium of instruction (plural: media of instruction, or mediums of instruction) is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. If the first language of students is different from the offic ...

moved there in 1984. Most French children only attend elementary or middle school in Seoul, but then return to France afterwards. In September 2009, the Seoul metropolitan government announced a five billion-won plan to renovate the area and make it more attractive to foreign residents by widening pedestrian walkways and putting up more signs in French. One portion of the pavement, starting from the entrance to Bangbae Middle School, is painted in red, white and blue, the colours of the

flag of France The national flag of France (french: link=no, drapeau français) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the ''Tricolour'' (), although the flag of Irelan ...

Notable people

Julien Kang Julien Kang (; born 11 April 1982) is a Canadian television actor and model. In May 2012, Kang starred opposite Ryu Si-won as Kang Gu-ra, a rival fighter to Ryu's Seung-hyuk in Channel A's ''Goodbye Dear Wife''. Early life Kang was born in Sa ...

, South Korean actor * Siméon-François Berneux, Catholic missionary *

Victor Collin de Plancy Victor Émile Marie Joseph Collin de Plancy (1853–1924) was a French diplomat, bibliophile and art collector. He was a career French diplomat who served most of his working life in Korea and whose private collection of Far Eastern art and antiq ...

, French diplomat *

Ida Daussy Ida Daussy (born 17 July 1969), also known by her Korean name Seo Hye-na, is a French-born South Korean celebrity. She is a professor at the Department of French Language & Culture of Sookmyung Women's University. She received a presidential cit ...

, TV celebrity * Fabien Yves Jerome Corbineau, model and TV celebrity *

Robin Deiana Robin Deiana (born July 18, 1990) is a French television personality, actor, model and breakdancer who lives and performs in South Korea. He was a cast member of the talk show ''Non-Summit''. He is also currently a host of the TV show ''The Most Be ...

, model and TV celebrity

References

External links

Alliance Française SéoulFrench Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry
European diaspora in Korea

Demographics of South Korea {{Korea-stub

History

Distribution

Notable people

See also

References

External links