Comprehensive slate of events across art, performance and industry will highlight strategic partnership between Seoul and Paris throughout 2026
"The 140th anniversary is more than a cultural celebration," French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux told reporters Tuesday at the French Embassy in Seoul. "It encompasses every dimension of the two countries' relationship -- political, military, economic, scientific and cultural."
Tuesday's press conference marked the official launch of programming for 2026, when Korea and France will commemorate 140 years of diplomatic ties since the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation was signed on June 4, 1886.
Under the slogan "Creativity, Opportunity, Solidarity," the two countries have planned more than 100 events spanning concerts, exhibitions, film festivals and high-level diplomatic exchanges throughout the coming year.
A formal anniversary ceremony will take place June 4 at Deoksugung, a Joseon-era royal palace in Seoul, with programming details to be announced for France-based events at a Paris press conference in December.
Ambassador Bertoux traced the arc of bilateral relations from Victor Collin de Plancy, France's first envoy to Seoul, who championed Korean culture at the 1900 Paris World's Fair, to the 267 French soldiers who died fighting in the Korean War, and today's cutting-edge collaboration in AI, quantum computing and aerospace. He emphasized that next year's celebrations would honor past achievements while charting an ambitious course forward.
"We aim to make this a threefold mission," the ambassador said. "First, to commemorate those who built this partnership. Second, to celebrate -- especially with young people. And third, to forge new plans that elevate our relationship to even greater heights."
Cultural Counselor Pierre Morcos outlined what he called a "360-degree" cultural season that will unfold across 20 Korean cities from March through December.
Major events include the opening of a Little Prince Museum in Busan's Gamcheon Culture Village, a VR exhibition on French Impressionists at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, and France serving as guest of honor at April's Busan International Short Film Festival, alongside French-focused programming at the Busan International Dance Festival in June and the Jarasum Jazz Festival in October.
Festival d'Avignon, France's premier performing arts showcase, will make its first-ever Asian appearance at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival in October, while the Pompidou Center is expected to open a Seoul branch in the anniversary year.
Collaboration extends to digital formats as well, from the inaugural French Webtoon Festival launching online in March in partnership with Jaedam Media's Shortz platform to October's French Drama Festival spotlighting popular television series.
"It's not just Seoul," Morcos said. "We're taking French culture to Bucheon, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu -- everywhere." The anniversary year will kick off in March with a concert by the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, while the closing event is scheduled for Busan in December.
On the diplomatic front, both nations are working to finalize a state visit by President Emmanuel Macron -- his first trip to Korea since taking office in 2017 and the first by a French head of state in over a decade. Bertoux noted that Seoul and Paris have grown increasingly close in their strategic outlook on the Indo-Pacific region, with France identifying Korea as a key partner in its geopolitical vision unveiled at last year's Shangri-La Dialogue.
"Our cooperation extends far beyond culture," the ambassador said, pointing to partnerships in nuclear energy, semiconductors and defense. "With economic security challenges and shifting supply chains, these strategic ties matter more than ever."
An official commemorative poster designed by recent Nantes art school graduate Ariane Darpy was unveiled at the press conference. Darpy, who studied at Korea National University of Arts in 2023, drew inspiration from chaekgeori, a traditional Korean still-life painting style, to create a visual dialogue between French and Korean cultural icons.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
