Minister of France, Fleur Pellerin, becomes honorary doctorate at our university
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2015-10-12
A ceremony was held on October 8 at the Centennial Hall Samsung Convention Center of our university to award Minister Fleur Pellerin with her honorary doctorate degree.
Minister Pellerin majored in economics at the top economics university, ESSEC, at the age of seventeen. She the graduated from the French political university Sciences Po, of which alumni include the French presidents Francois Mitterrand, Jacques Chirrac, and Francois Hollande, and from the national administration university ENA, to complete the traditional elite courses for economics, politics, and administration.
Pellerin entered the political world in 2002, when she took part in writing a speech for Lionel Jospin of the French Socialist Party. In 2007, she was active in the presidential election camp of Segolene Royal, and in the camp of Francois Hollande in 2012. After Hollande was elected president, she was appointed as the Secretary of State for Foreign Trade and Tourism Promotion in cabinet at the age of 38. She then became Delegate Minister for Productivity, Small and Medium-Size Businesses, Innovation and the Digital Economy, and was appointed Minister of Culture and Communication in 2014. She boasts excellent reliability as she has presented major performance every time she takes on a new position for three years.
Our university first started our connection with Minister Pellerin through the 10th Korea-France Forum hosted jointly by the Korea Foundation and IFRI in 2013, in Paris. We decided to present her with an honorary doctorate focusing on the excellent leadership she has shown in European society as a woman with Korean heritage.
At the ceremony, Minister Pellerin emphasized the importance of the role of women and the gender equality policy in economic activities, and sent a message of encouragement to students who were taking on the challenge of working in a field where it is not easy for a woman to advance. In addition, she stressed, “Developments in digital technology have led to a paradigm shift to new ideas of application innovation, ecosystem, participatory efforts, and world market in today’s economy,” and said, “This new economy includes tasks such as protecting the compensation for efforts of creators, encouraging cultural diversity, and preventing monopoly.”
She added, “Korea and France have similarities, such as ancient traditions, a sophisticated cultural industry, and a dynamic digital industry. Let us therefore create strong relationships of cooperation between the two countries and take a leap as international cultural power countries.”
Minister Pellerin also expressed her strong affection for Korea. She said, “I will never forget that I was born here,” and revealed, “Considering the forty-something-year history of Korea and adopted children, I know how significant it is that I am receiving this honorary doctorate here today.”
Lastly, Minister Pellerin pointed out that many women around the world do not have the opportunity of education, and said to the students of our university, “Strongly pursue all the positions you want in all fields. Never hesitate or give up,” and received great applause for her words. At the reception after the ceremony, she asked students who came for the lecture to step up and take photographs together, indicating her affection for our students.
Around 200 guests, including ambassadors of French-speaking countries such as France, Gabon, Rwanda, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire, G20 International Cooperation Ambassador Hye-min Lee, and President of the The French Korean Chamber of Commerce David-Pierre Jalicon, came to the honorary doctorate degree presentation ceremony to congratulate our honorary doctorates.
