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 missionaries first came to the country. However, most missionaries came after the 1886 establishment of relations between
France and the
Joseon dynasty; the treaty signed between the two countries gave French missionaries the right to evangelise in
Korea.
Distribution
There were an estimated 5,343 French nationals in
South Korea . 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 ...
in
Seoul's
Seocho-gu district, which because of its location on a hill is often compared to
Montmartre in
Paris. Korea's only school using
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
as the
medium of instruction 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
Siméon-François Berneux (14 May 1814 – 8 March 1866) was a French Catholic missionary to Asia, and a member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society who was canonized as a saint. Berneux was executed in the anti-Christian purges at Saena ...
, 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, 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
See also
*
Koreans in France
Koreans in France numbered 29,367 individuals , making them the 3rd-largest Korean diaspora community in Western Europe, according to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Migration history
Korean migration to France began in 1919, ...
*
French campaign against Korea
The French expedition to Korea (french: Expédition française en Corée, ) was an 1866 punitive expedition undertaken by the Second French Empire against Joseon Korea in retaliation for the execution of seven French Catholic missionaries. Th ...
References
External links
Alliance Française SéoulFrench Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry
European diaspora in Korea
Korea
Korea
Demographics of South Korea
{{Korea-stub