Governance
of the Maison de la Corée

Tell us about your background and your arrival at the Cité internationale.

As a civil servant in the Korean Ministry of Education for almost twenty-five years, I have worked to design and implement educational policies that enable students to flourish. I came to France as Director of the Education Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Maison de la Corée because I wanted to help students from all over the world to grow and develop through exchange.

What do you think makes the Cité internationale a unique campus in the world?

The Cité internationale is a living environment in which students and researchers from multinational and multicultural backgrounds live together on a daily basis, with the unique advantage of allowing them to experience global diversity in all its breadth. Thanks to the open-mindedness and flexibility of the students, this advantage enables genuine mutual understanding and exchanges. It obviously contributes to the personal development of each individual and I am convinced that it can give rise to meaningful global cooperation.

How does living in your house allow residents to have a different outlook on the world and how is it a spring board for their futures?

The Maison de la Corée is a symbolic space showing both the traditional character and modern development of South Korea. The fact that South Korea has risen from the ashes of war and devastation to become a developed country rooted in globalisation can have a lasting impact on the residents of the Maison de la Corée, motivating them to do their best to achieve their goals and developing in them the resilience needed to overcome difficulties and setbacks.

If you had to sum up the Cité internationale in one word, what would it be and why?

This would be the Korean word “inyeon”, which in a way refers to a predestined encounter. Meeting the CiuP and its residents is no mere chance, but a precious link, an “inyeon”.