Koreans in France
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 29,167[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Paris, Nice, Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Toulouse | |
| Languages | |
| Korean, French | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism[2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Korean diaspora, Koryo-Saram |
Koreans in France numbered 29,367 individuals as of 2014[update], making them the 3rd-largest Korean diaspora community in Western Europe, according to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[3]
Migration history
[edit]Korean migration to France began in 1919, when the government of France issued work permits to 35 Korean migrant labourers.[4] From a community of just 3,310 in 1988, their numbers more than tripled by 2000, and then grew a further 30% by 2007.[5][6] However, from 2009 to 2011, their population shrank by 14%.[3] The vast majority live in Paris — about two-thirds, according to 2011 data, compared with four-fifths a decade before — with the largest concentrations in the 15th arrondissement. There are more than twice as many women as men; the population has grown more gender-imbalanced as compared to a decade prior.[7][3] Unlike in the United States or Canada, with their large Korean American and Korean Canadian communities, few Koreans in France seek to naturalise as French citizens.[8] Among all South Korean nationals or former nationals in France, 786 (6%) have become French citizens, 2,268 (18%) are permanent residents, 6,325 (50%) are international students, and the remaining 3,305 (26%) hold other kinds of visas.[3]
Aside from South Korean expatriates, children adopted from Korea into French families form another portion of France's Korean population; most were adopted at between ages three and nine.[9] The number of North Korean refugees has also been on the rise.[10]
Education
[edit]Koreans in France are served by five Korean-language weekend schools, the oldest and largest of which is the Paris Hangul School, established 18 August 1974; it enrolled 170 students as of 2007.[11] Four others, in Villeurbanne, Grenoble, Strasbourg, and Toulouse, were established between 1994 and 2000; they enrolled a further 78 students.[12][13][14][15] A significant number also attend French universities; in total, about half of the Korean population in France are estimated to be students, falling from two-thirds a decade ago.[7][3]
Inter-ethnic relations
[edit]Not many French people know that their country has a Korean community at all.[4] In many cases, Koreans are mistaken for Chinese and thus lumped in as economic refugees.[16]
As of 2001, only about 200 of the South Koreans in France were members of internationally married couples consisting of a South Korean partner and a French partner.[7] Such couples experienced a number of cultural conflicts, most commonly over the rigour of their children's education.[8]
Portrayals in popular culture of Koreans in France include the 2004 South Korean television series Lovers in Paris; its popularity has resulted in an increase in the number of Korean tourists visiting France.[4] A more recent one is Hong Sang-soo's 2008 film Night and Day.[17]
Notable people
[edit]- Myung-whun Chung, Seoul-born Korean American, director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
- Jean-Baptiste Kim, former unofficial North Korean spokesman[18]
- Fleur Pellerin, Ministry of Culture[19]
- Jean-Vincent Placé, French politician[20]
- Daul Kim, Korean model
- Cédric O, French politician
- Delphine O, French politician
- Pom Klementieff, actress
- Ysabelle Lacamp, French novelist, singer and actress
- Euny Hong, author and journalist[21]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ 재외동포현황(2019)/Total number of overseas Koreans (2019). South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "Korean Buddhist organisations in France", World Buddhist Directory, Buddha Dharma Education Association, 2006, retrieved 2009-03-09
- ^ a b c d e MOFAT 2011, p. 259
- ^ a b c Lee 2006
- ^ Lee-Le Neindre 2001, p. 1
- ^ MOFAT 2009
- ^ a b c Lee-Le Neindre 2001, p. 2
- ^ a b Lee-Le Neindre 2001, p. 5
- ^ Ventureyra & Palliere 2004, p. 208
- ^ 프랑스 북한주민돕기위원회: "북한난민처리 기준 결의안 발의, 유럽의회에 올해 요청할 것". Radio Free Asia (in Korean). 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- ^ NIIED 2007, 파리한글학교
- ^ NIIED 2007, 그르노블한국학교
- ^ NIIED 2007, 뚜르즈한글학교
- ^ NIIED 2007, 리용한글학교
- ^ NIIED 2007, 스트라스부르그한글학교
- ^ Lee-Le Neindre 2001, p. 3
- ^ Fainaru, Dan (2008-02-12), "Night and Day", Screen Daily, retrieved 2012-08-22
- ^ Michael, Christopher (2008-04-09), "From despot's PR man to Surrey salesman", The Spectator, archived from the original on 2008-08-02, retrieved 2009-09-01
- ^ "Korean Adoptee Becomes French Deputy Minister", Chosun Ilbo, 2012-05-18, retrieved 2012-05-19
- ^ Falletti, Sébastien (2011-11-01), "Jean-Vincent Placé renoue avec ses racines coréennes", Le Figaro, retrieved 2012-08-18
- ^ Hong, Euny (2023-08-08). "Opinion | In Paris, I Get Judged on What I Speak, Not How I Look". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
Sources
[edit]- Lee, Yang-gu (May 2006), "120th Anniversary of Korea-France Diplomatic Relations", The Korea Foundation Newsletter, 15 (2), retrieved 2008-12-07
- Lee-Le Neindre, Bouriane (September 2001), "L'interculturel entre l'Orient et l'Occident - les particularités et les difficultés à travers les cas des résidents coréens en France" (PDF), Actes du VIIIe congrès de l'Association pour la recherche interculturelle, University of Geneva, retrieved 2008-12-07
- Ventureyra, Valérie A.G.; Palliere, Christophe (2004), "In search of the lost language: The case of adopted Koreans in France", in Schmid, Monika S. (ed.), First Language Attrition: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Methodological Issues, Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 207–224, ISBN 90-272-4139-2
- 재외동포현황 [Current Status of Overseas Compatriots] (in Korean), South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2009, archived from the original on 2010-10-23, retrieved 2009-05-21
- 재외동포 본문(지역별 상세), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2011-07-15, retrieved 2012-05-19
- "Europe", Overseas Korean Educational Institutions, Seoul: National Institute for International Education Development, 2007, archived from the original on 2008-10-12, retrieved 2008-12-07
Further reading
[edit]- Lim, Young-hee (November 2004), "History of Koreans in France", International Conference on Korean Historical Materials and the History of Koreans in Europe, University of Bonn
External links
[edit]- Le Journal Hanweekly, a newspaper aimed at Koreans in France
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