The “Year of France in Korea” kicked off on March 23 in Seoul, aimed at being a retrospect over the past 130 years of friendship between Seoul and Paris. Held as part of the “Year of Korea-France Bilateral Exchanges” and in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the festival continues until the end of year. The “Year of Korea in France,” meanwhile, has already been underway in Paris since September last year, running until August this year.

The opening ceremony took place at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul and welcomed about 200 representatives from the Korean and French governments. Among those in attendance were Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se and his French counterpart, Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

“This festival features a wide set of events that aim to demonstrate innovation and creativity from each of us, all made with collaboration between both countries,” said Henri Loyrette, French chairman from the organizing committee for the Year of Korea-France Bilateral Exchanges. “The aim is to show how close both countries are, and it will be shown with creativity and the historical value embedded in these events that we’ve prepared,” he added.



The Korea-France joint production of a performance called “The Age of Time” was staged to mark the opening of the festival. It was directed by Jose Montalvo, a French choreographer working at the Chaillot National Theater. A team of 24 dancers from the National Dance Company of Korea brought Montalvo’s choreography to life on the stage.

Prior to the premiere, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok delivered his congratulatory speech, saying that, “This is a chance to bring together the arts of the East and West.” The minister continued to say that, “The real goal for the Year of Korea-France Bilateral Exchanges is to share our different traditions, arts and performances with each other, and to learn things admirable from these different values. This close friendship will hopefully be taken to a new level over the next 100 years, after these 130 years.”

In response, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault said, “One aspect that the peoples of both countries have in common is that they know how to enjoy music, dancing and other forms of art. Through this festival, I hope they will feel closer to each other, sharing their traditions and art.” The French minister went on to say that, “My hope is to see this sound friendship, a friendship that started with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation 130 years ago, in 1886, continue into the future.”

              with a variety of French food on which they worked together.

 The President Meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault



President Park Geun-hye met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault of the French Republic at Cheong Wa Dae on March 24. The French Foreign Minister visiting Seoul to attend the opening ceremony of the Year of France in Korea in 2016.

President Park began by noting that the Korea-France relationship has become closer as the two countries mark the 130th anniversary this year of the establishment of diplomatic ties. She went on to express high regard for deepening cooperation between the two nations as genuine partners for international peace and prosperity under an action plan to strengthen the comprehensive partnership for the 21st century adopted during French President François Hollande’s visit to Korea last November.

Next President Park said she looked forward to increases in trade and investments between the two countries on the basis of the Korea-EU FTA. She also expressed the hope for cooperation between the French Tech Hub, which opened in Seoul on March 24, and the Culture Creation Convergence Belt and the Center for Creative Economy and Innovation.

In addition, the President expressed her appreciation to the French government for promptly issuing a statement denouncing the North`s nuclear test and missile launch as well as actively joining forces with the international community as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The President also requested the French government`s efforts to ensure the strict implementation of the UN Security Council sanctions against the North and the enhancement of EU sanctions as well.

In response, Minister Ayrault said that the French government has continued to support the South Korean government’s stance. Then, he said that it was time to thoroughly implement the sanctions against the North and that he would make efforts to see that the European Union institute its own sanctions against North Korea.

Later, Minister Ayrault delivered a personal letter from French President François Hollande, expressing his hopes for strengthening cooperation in the creative economy, promoting exchanges among students and universities and enhancing language exchanges.

   Korea, France Hold 1st Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue



Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se held the first Republic of Korea-France foreign ministerial strategic dialogue with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault of France in Seoul on March 24. In the meeting, the two top diplomats discussed in depth the ROK-France relations; the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the North Korean nuclear and human rights issues; situations in Syria, Libya and other regions; and such international issues as terrorism and climate change.

The two Ministers agreed to take the bilateral “comprehensive partnership for the 21st century” a notch higher through the “Years 2015-2016 of ROK-France Bilateral Exchanges” event, the largest-ever of its kind consisting of 350 programs, in commemoration of the 130th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations in 2016.

With regard to North Korean issues, Minister Yun asked France to play an active role in efforts to thoroughly implement the UN Security Council sanctions resolution on North Korea as well as the EU’s unilateral sanctions on the country; efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea; and efforts to achieve a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula. In response, Minister Ayrault, stressing that France has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, stated that France fully supports the ROK government’s policy toward North Korea.

With respect to regional and global issues, the two Ministers expressed deep concern over the fact that the simultaneous terrorist attacks in France on November 13, 2015 and in Brussels, Belgium, on March 22, 2016 had claimed lives of many innocent people. They agreed to continuously take active parts in international efforts to fight terrorism, including preventing the money-laundering by terrorist groups and rendering support to such vulnerable countries as Syria and Libya.

At the opening ceremony of the “ROK-France Leaders’ Forum” held ahead of their strategic dialogue, the two Ministers delivered keynote speeches on “the 130 years of the ROK-France relations: retrospect and prospect” to present a vision for a stronger comprehensive partnership between the two countries and specific ways to work together to that end.

The inaugural ROK-France ministerial strategic dialogue is seen to have played a role in further enhancing the friendly and cooperative ties between the ROK and France, which have been rapidly advancing over the recent years across the board, including political affairs, economy and culture. The two Ministers agreed to fully use a variety of multilateral meetings to seek to continuously step up cooperation on the not only bilateral but also regional and global levels.


Some of these articles originally appeared on the official website of the Republic of Korea, Korea.net.