South Korea

French presence

In April 2022, 3,513 French nationals were listed as residents in the Republic of Korea. In 2019, 69,000 French nationals visited the country.

Visits

Presidents Yoon Suk-Yeol and Emmanuel Macron met for the first time on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Madrid (29 June 2022). Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo met with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris on 20 June 2022. President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s Special Envoy to the EU, Kim Gi-Hyeon, also met with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris on 3 June 2022.

President Moon Jae-In made a State visit to France in October 2018. President Park Geun-Hye travelled to France in June 2016. The President of the French Republic, François Hollande, made an official visit to South Korea in November 2015. The latest strategic dialogue session for foreign ministers was held in Paris in May 2019.

Ambassadors

French Ambassador to the Republic of Korea: Mr Philippe Lefort (Since 1 September 2019) @FranceenCoree

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to France: Mr Yoo Dae-Jong (Since 2020)

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

South Korea is a country of scientific excellence, which is attractive to French research bodies. Our cooperation enabled the development of several joint research structures, including the Institut Pasteur Korea and three international partner laboratories of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The adoption in 2018 of the French-Korean action plan for science and technology makes the development of academic, scientific and technological cooperation one of the priorities of our bilateral relationship.

France ranks sixth in terms of host countries for South Korean students, with 3,270 of them studying in France and seven Alliances Françaises in Korea. 
The French-Korean joint committee for science and technology in July 2018 defined several bilateral priorities: life sciences and biotechnology; artificial intelligence; aeronautics and space; environmental sciences and climate. In addition, in 2018 a joint fund on artificial intelligence was launched, to support the work of four Korean and French universities and research centres. The opening of Korea House at the International University Campus in Paris in December 2018 was an important sign of the vibrant human exchanges between our two countries.