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 ...

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 ...

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

Adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

Radical Party of the Left The Radical Party of the Left (french: Parti radical de gauche, PRG) is a social-liberal political party in France. A party in the Radical tradition, since 1972 the PRG was a close ally of the major party of the centre-left in France, the Socia ...

Europe Ecology – The Greens Europe Ecology – The Greens (french: Europe Écologie Les Verts , EELV ) is a centre-left to left-wing green political party in France. The party is a member of the European Green Party. The party was formed on 13 November 2010 from the merge ...

François de Rugy François Henri Goullet de Rugy (; born 6 December 1973) is a French politician who served as President of the National Assembly from 2017 to 2018 and Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition from 2018 to 2019. Since 2007, he has repres ...

Ecologist Party The Ecologist Party ( French: ''Parti écologiste'', PÉ), founded as Écologistes !, is a centre-left French political party that holds pro-European views, created in September 2015 by François de Rugy, President of the Europe Ecology – The ...

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Second Valls government, and president of political group Union des démocrates et des écologistes.

Early life and career

Little is known about Placé's origins, apart from the fact that he spent part of his childhood in an orphanage in

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

,

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 ...

. Although his birth certificate states he was born Kwon Oh-bok () in

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 ...

on 12 March 1968, Placé himself has expressed doubts about the date because of his situation as an orphan; at the time of his adoption by a French family in 1975, he reportedly appeared younger than his official age. He then grew up with his adoptive family in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. After studying economics, Placé, then 26 years old, met

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

mayor and Parliament member

Michel Crépeau Michel Crépeau (30 October 1930, Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée – 30 March 1999, Paris) was a French centre-left politician. Born in 1930, barrister, he joined the Radical Party. When it split in 1972, he founded the Movement of Left Radical ...

and became active within his party "Movement of Radicals of the Left" (later

Radical Party of the Left The Radical Party of the Left (french: Parti radical de gauche, PRG) is a social-liberal political party in France. A party in the Radical tradition, since 1972 the PRG was a close ally of the major party of the centre-left in France, the Socia ...

). According to ''

L'Obs (), previously known as (1964–2014), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation. Its current editor is Cécil ...

'', Placé also joined the

Grand Orient de France The Grand Orient de France (GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonry, Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly ab ...

, France's largest

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

organization. He became an attaché to Crépeau until Crépeau's death in 1999, after which Placé left the Radical Party and joined

The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to: Current political parties * Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens'' * Greens of Andorra * Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina * Greens of Burkina * Greens (Greece) * Greens of Montenegro *Greens of Serbia *G ...

, which later became

Europe Ecology – The Greens Europe Ecology – The Greens (french: Europe Écologie Les Verts , EELV ) is a centre-left to left-wing green political party in France. The party is a member of the European Green Party. The party was formed on 13 November 2010 from the merge ...

(EELV).

Political career

The

2004 French regional elections Regional elections in were held in France on 21 and 28 March 2004. At stake were the presidencies of each of France's 26 regions which, although they do not have legislative powers, manage sizeable budgets. The results were a triumph for the part ...

saw Jean-Vincent Placé being elected as a member of the regional council of

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

, on a list of candidates led by

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Jean-Paul Huchon Jean-Paul Huchon (; born 29 July 1946) is a French retired civil servant and politician who served as Mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine from 1994 to 2001 and President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France from 1998 until 2015. Biography ...

, as the result of an alliance between The Greens and the Socialist Party. Placé was subsequently elected as the head of the Green group within the council. In 2011, under EELV membership, Placé was elected as

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the department of Essonne. In 2012, he became the first president of the newly-formed

Ecologist group The Ecologist Group, officially the Ecologist Group - NUPES since 2022, is a French parliamentary group in the National Assembly. The first iteration of the group was existed between June 2012 and May 2016 during the 14th legislature of the F ...

in the French Senate. In 2014, Placé publicly criticized the "leftist" direction his party was allegedly taking and lamented it had become "the party of

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

" instead of focusing on environmental issues. Eventually, in 2015, upset by talks of alliance between EELV and the Left Front for the regional elections, Jean-Vincent Placé and

François de Rugy François Henri Goullet de Rugy (; born 6 December 1973) is a French politician who served as President of the National Assembly from 2017 to 2018 and Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition from 2018 to 2019. Since 2007, he has repres ...

both left EELV and founded their own centre-left, green party, ''Écologistes !'' (later the

Ecologist Party The Ecologist Party ( French: ''Parti écologiste'', PÉ), founded as Écologistes !, is a centre-left French political party that holds pro-European views, created in September 2015 by François de Rugy, President of the Europe Ecology – The ...

). The party then participated in the creation of political group Union des démocrates et des écologistes (UDE) of which Placé became the first president. From 2016 to 2017, he was appointed by then-Prime Minister

Manuel Valls Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti (, , ; born 13 August 1962) is a French-Spanish politician who has served as a Barcelona city councillor from 2019 to 2021. He served as Prime Minister of France from 2014 until 2016 under president François Hol ...

as "Secretary of State for State Reform and Simplification" in Valls's second government. In order to access government office, Placé stepped down from his positions as senator and president of the Senate's Ecologist group. In 2016, Placé applied for the honorary title of Colonel of the citizen reserve forces within the

13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment The 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes ( en, 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment) or 13e RDP is a special reconnaissance regiment of the French Army. It is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, the latter itself being under the Spec ...

. In December 2016, when

Bernard Cazeneuve Bernard Guy Georges Cazeneuve (; born 2 June 1963) is a French politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 December 2016 to 15 May 2017. A member of the Socialist Party, he represented Manche’s 5th constituency in the ...

was appointed Prime Minister, Placé retained his position within his

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

as Secretary of State for State Reform and Simplification. In the 2017 Socialist primaries, Jean-Vincent Placé showed support for former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who eventually lost the primary to

Benoît Hamon Benoît Hamon (; born 26 June 1967) is a French politician known for his former role within the Socialist Party (PS) and Party of European Socialists (PES) and his political party Génération.s. Hamon joined the Socialist Party in 1988 and ...

. Placé then backed the Socialist candidate Hamon during the

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. Following the formation of Prime Minister

Édouard Philippe Édouard Charles Philippe (; born 28 November 1970) is a French politician serving as Mayor of Le Havre since 2020, previously holding the office from 2010 to 2017. He was Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2017 to 3 July 2020 under President ...

's first government in 2017, Placé was no longer a member of the French government and took back his position within the Senate, this time as a member of the

Socialist and Republican group The Socialist and Republican group (french: groupe socialiste et républicain) is a parliamentary group in the Senate including representatives of the Socialist Party (PS). History The first parliamentary group of socialists in the Senate of ...

. In September 2017, after being mugged in the streets of Paris, he publicly expressed his desire to put his political career on hold, thus declining to stand in the then-upcoming senatorial elections. When Placé made his announcement, his name was not on any candidate list for the Senate. He remained a member of the regional council of Île-de-France. In April 2018, following issues with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and a publicized incident in a Paris nightclub, Placé resigned from his position as president of UDE.

Legal issues

In 2011, during an appearance on television, Placé reacted to then- UMP member of Parliament

Christian Vanneste Christian Vanneste (born 14 July 1947) is a French politician. He served two terms as a deputy in the French Parliament (2002-2012), representing the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Career A member of the French Parliament, he was elected ...

's recent comments about

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, by calling Vanneste "despicable" and claiming he had a reputation for "

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...

", "

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

", "maybe even

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

" remarks. Vanneste then sued Placé for

defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

. A Paris court eventually sentenced Placé to a fine and ordered him to pay Vanneste in damages. In 2013, an investigation by newspaper ''

Le Canard enchaîné (; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris. Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism a ...

'' revealed that Placé owed more than to the region of Île-de-France, mostly in unpaid traffic fines. Placé, who acknowledged his mistake, explained he was "not a man of numbers" and swore to pay his fines. In 2014, he stormed out of a talk show where the topic was brought up again, saying his situation was now resolved. In September 2017, Placé was assaulted in the streets of Paris: the robbers took his cellphone, credit card, and watch. Placé later told the press he was considering putting his political career on hold. On the night between 4 and 5 April 2018, an intoxicated Placé was arrested outside a Paris nightclub by French police and kept into custody for 37 hours. He was charged with " disrespect towards police officers", "racial

insults An insult is an expression or statement (or sometimes behavior) which is disrespectful or scornful. Insults may be intentional or accidental. An insult may be factual, but at the same time pejorative, such as the word "inbred". Jocular exch ...

" and "violent behavior under the influence", and brought to the courts. Placé then resigned from his position as president of UDE. In an interview with ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...

'', Placé apologized for disorderly intoxication and revealed he had been struggling with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

for several months. However, he denied allegations of any sexist or racist behavior. In September 2018, a Paris court found him guilty of "acts of violence" and gave him a fine and a three-month suspended sentence, while dismissing the charge of "racial insults".

Personal life

Although Placé was born in South Korea and spent part of his childhood there, he claims little relation to his birth country and credits his identity to education within the "School of the

rench The Rench is a right-hand tributary of the Rhine in the Ortenau (Baden (Land), Central Baden, Germany). It rises on the southern edge of the Northern Black Forest at Kniebis near Bad Griesbach im Schwarzwald. The source farthest from the mouth is ...

Republic". After being adopted in 1975 by a French family he describes as politically "

Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle withd ...

", he did not set foot in South Korea again until an official visit in 2011. While there, he said to the local press "France is my country" and reportedly told locals he was unable to speak their language. Placé was previously in a relationship with fellow Green politician

Cécile Duflot Cécile Duflot (; born 1 April 1975) is a French non-governmental organisation (NGO) leader and former politician. She has been a government minister and political party leader. She was Minister of Territorial Equality and Housing (french: Mi ...

. After the end of what Placé calls a "love story", he began a relationship with another Green politician,

French Parliament The French Parliament (french: Parlement français) is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate () and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris: ...

member

Éva Sas Éva Sas (born 13 August 1970) is a French politician from Europe Ecology – The Greens. She was a Member of Parliament from 2012 to 2017, and has been again since 2022. Early life Sas was born in Nice in 1970. Political career She was el ...

. Together they had a daughter who was born in November 2013. Placé and Sas separated in 2014.

Authored books

*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Placé, Jean-Vincent 1968 births Living people French adoptees French politicians of Korean descent French Senators of the Fifth Republic South Korean adoptees Senators of Essonne South Korean emigrants to France People from Seoul Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite University of Caen Normandy alumni Government ministers of France