Professor Siyeun Moon Receives French Order of Merit for Culture and Arts
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2012-10-15
Professor Moon was named honorary chevalier of the Order of Merit by the French Ministry of Education in 2007, and then received the even higher appointment as officier of l’Ordre National du Merite by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.
In 2007, Moon was responsible for establishing the master’s course of French Cultural Management in Sookmyung’s Political Science and International Relations. She was also involved in Sookmyung’s opening a joint degree and curriculum with France’s Paris Dauphine University in which cultural policy legislators and other officials of the French government participated as lecturers in cooperation with the French Embassy in Korea.
Professor Moon explains that she was first motivated to initiate a Korean-French cultural policy forum after listening to the complaints of an officer from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism who did not receive a friendly welcome from French officers during his visit to France, largely because of his having only few acquaintances there. Moon was then inspired with the idea of arranging opportunities to initiate non-governmental interchange, which led to opening a policy forum with French government officials who gave lectures in the Department of French Cultural Management.
This forum, started in 2009, was held twice in Paris last year and is now well established. Moon’s role in non-governmental interchange is esteemed highly by the French government, as is clear from her award. Kyung-ah Shin, the public relations officer in the French Cultural Center noted, “I know the award was bestowed to Moon because of her very large role in promoting cultural exchange between two countries.”
Professor Moon expressed her thoughts on the award, saying, “Korea has recently had an increased interest in France, and there are more people in Korea who are now recognizing the merits and differences in French culture, and are more appreciative of cultural diversity. So I will do my best at the frontier in forging a cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Korea and France.