A flavor of France in the heart of Korea’s capital

Home > Business > Economy

print dictionary print

A flavor of France in the heart of Korea’s capital

테스트

Foreigners enjoyed an afternoon last week at a cafe along the Seorae Village Street. The street is known for having the largest French community in Korea. By Jeon Min-gyu

As soon as the clock ticked 5 one afternoon last week, when the sky was clear blue, students ran out of the main entrance of the French School of Seoul on Seorae Street, in Banpo-dong, southern Seoul. Shouting in French to their waiting parents, the kids were finishing up their first day at school.

The school is located in Seorae Village, often called the Montmartre of Seoul because of its strong Gallic flavor. According to the Seorae Global Village Center, 36 percent of the 1,137 French people in Seoul were living in this area as of July.

테스트

Foreign families stroll along the Seorae Village Street in Banpo, southern Seoul. The neighborhood is dubbed as the Montmartre of Seoul thanks to the strong concentration of French residents. By Jeon Min-gyu

The number was even higher in the past when an army of French business executives helped open branches of the French retail discount store Carrefour and set up the KTX high-speed trains, built using French TGV technology.

At present, the majority of the French expats work in banking, insurance, restaurants and education, according to the French Embassy. Seorae is now a hub for new residents, helping them adjust to life in Korea.

테스트

“The French expatriates appreciate the effort that has been done by the head of the Seorae area to make them feel at home far away from France,” said Lydie Bertrand, press adviser at the French Embassy in Korea.

The village in Seocho District started to expand when the French school, founded in 1974 in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, moved there in 1985. Naturally, French or French-speaking residents wanted to live near the school their kids attended.

“The presence of the French Lycee in Seorae is probably the main reason this area has grown into a little French village,” said Bertrand.

Currently, 415 students from kindergarten to 12th grade are enrolled in the school, according to the village center. Most of the teaching staff, including the school’s principal, Thierry Tillement, were sent over by the French government.

“The school’s curriculum and syllabus are the same as that of public schools in France,” said Sandrine Caro, a French mother waiting outside the school with other parents last week.

Although she lives in Ulsan, with her husband, who works for KTX, she decided to send her son to the French school in Seoul. He’s in his last year of high school and she wanted him to have a French education.

To be honest, apart from the crowds of French parents milling outside the school waiting to pick up their kids, Seorae Village doesn’t look particularly French. There is no Parisian-style gothic architecture or public squares where passersby are presented with mime acts and buskers playing harmonicas. Terrace cafes are hard to find, and there are no designer boutiques.

But if you look more carefully down the alleys that snake off the main drag in the village, you can uncover some hidden charms that conjure up a European atmosphere.

Some street signs are written in French, such as “Attention Ecole,” or there are restaurants called Apres-midi, Gourmet de Coffee and Cafe Montmartre. The sidewalk paving stones are painted red, white and blue - the colors of the French national flag - and the aroma of freshly baked baguettes and pastries fills the air.

Many local businesses related to French culture have built up over the years hoping to cash in on the needs of the expat community and the interest among young Korean people drawn to an area considered chic and trendy.

So far, the businesses have been prospering. Although it was a weekday last week when this reporter visited the area, the street was packed with cars and visitors checking out nearby French-style restaurants or bakeries that sell crisp crusted baguettes.

The main branch of Paris Croissant, a local boulangerie chain, is located here, managed by a baker from France.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that bread sold here has the most French taste,” said So Jung-sub, store manager at the Paris Croissant, noting the branch offers bread lovers more variety than other bakeries. The store opened nine years ago.

“We make 14 different kinds of traditional French baguettes whereas in other branches and local bakeries, there are only two or three,” the manager said.

“The store is busiest on the weekend when French families stock up on bread for the week,” So said, adding that 20 percent of its total customers are French.

Wine shops are also popular among French families, especially on weekends.

“Forty percent of our customers are French,” said Kim Gwi-yeop, from the wine shop Ten to Ten. There are plenty of Korean customers, but the French tend to spend and buy more. The price of the wine ranges from less than 10,000 won ($8.10) to 1.9 million won.

“Despite the economic downturn, our sales are stable since residents here have a constant demand for wine,” Kim said, expecting this year’s sales to increase 100 percent on-year. “Demand will never run out.”

But not everyone is happy about commercial development in the area.

“The village has no color of its own,” said Park Sung-gon, owner and chef of La Trouvaille, a French restaurant. “The area has developed very randomly.”

Park, a resident of the French village for the past 25 years, said, “Commercial [chain] shops such as Starbucks, Tom & Toms and Il Mare have opened recently but these can be found everywhere in the capital. There should be more shops that bring out a sense of French culture.”

Park said sees more izakaya, Japanese-style bars, are opening in the area, too.

“Sometimes, I cannot tell if the area is a Japanese zone or a French village,” he said with a sigh.

In order to overcome such concerns, the Seocho District Office is trying to give the street a more Parisian look and has designated the neighborhood as a special development zone.

Some policies include using Korean and French on traffic signs, designating more French-speaking restaurants and hiding electrical cables underground.

“People often come to Seorae Street expecting a ‘real’ French village and are disappointed, but a face-lift shouldn’t be done overnight,” said Lim Hyun-ok from the Seocho District Office.


By Lee Eun-joo [angie@joongang.co.kr]
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)