Korea in the World: France
In this new monthly segment, we examine how Koreans live in other countries, and how Korean culture makes a global impact. If you know someone who sees Korea in another country or if you yourself are such a person, please e-mail gwangjunews@gmail.com.
Helene Charbonnier recalls her first trip to Korea in 2006 as being a good experience, as well as a journey of both happy and sad emotions.
She was grateful to have visited while on business: surveying publishing houses for children’s books in Seoul. Still, the happiness originated from what she saw. “It was really for me to discover what it is to be a Korean, to see other Koreans and to see how they look.”
And yet, the sadness emerged because of what she did not have. “I could not speak Korean, I didn’t move like a Korean, I didn’t think like a Korean. So to be connected to Korean people, it was so hard because I knew that I was different, that I am from elsewhere.”
Charbonnier, the president of Racines coréennes, a co-founder of the Conseil national des Adoptés, a children’s book publisher and a faculty member at the University of Paris, is a Korean-born adoptee who calls France home.
As a result, she has learned to live life incorporating both French and Korean cultures. “The purpose of life is to find equilibrium between these two [national] thoughts, to find my own way. Integrating a bit of Korean culture, to be more Korean and to be from what country I come from.”
During her university career, Charbonnier discovered Racines, became a member, served in the Communications Department and was elected and now serves as President. Since having discussions with other adoptees at Racines, Charbonnier developed a curiosity concerning Korea. This intrigue led Charbonnier to find more Korean knowledge “without any judgment.”
“Year after year, my interests grew more and more, and then, I thought I needed to go to Korea: at first not to have some answers, but just to discover Korea, to get the experience of what it is to be there.” That led to her initial visit in 2006.
Charbonnier’s fifth visit to Korea involved a visit to the Gwangju International Center (GIC) on July 24 in order to raise advocacy for her organizations. Gwangju News, MBC TV and Yonhap News all conducted interviews with Charbonnier, so she was satisfied with her time in Gwangju.
Racines coréennes (translated as “Korean Roots”) is a French non-profit organization that has existed since 1995. According to Charbonnier, Racines’ aim is: “to create a community with activities for Korean-born adoptees in France to gather, not specifically to talk about adoption, but just to make them reassured … that when they are gathered, they are not alone.”
Translated from their French website, Racines strives to help adoptees find “a legitimate interest in their roots, without [rejecting another] country, much less the adopted family [and] to have a better understanding of the Korean reality and the abolition of all prejudices [that] can help them feel better about French life.” Charbonnier has considered the experience of finding one’s original country for adoptees as “something universal to discover, to know more about the place that you come from.” And Racines desires to help interested French Koreans who possess this desire to achieve this discovery.
Joel Meissonier’s thesis findings, posted on Racines’ website, summarized his interviews with several Koreans who had returned to Korea. His research showed major changes occurring when adoptees from Korea returned to their birthplace, with some even meeting their birth parents and families. According to Meissonier, as a result of their journeys, two interviewees stated: “My life is in France. But there is still a place for my family in Korea,” and “I had been so well received that I now have two families.”
Despite the benefits and disadvantages, Meissonier alluded to the fact that if adoptees are cautious, the experience is all in how one makes it. “The fact remains that identity is never ‘given’ once and for all, and the journey he/she makes no answer to something that is never irreversible.”Yet, Meissonier also concluded that idealizing “the Korean family” could be shattered by the actual meeting between adoptee and his/her family. As a result, he had also concluded that the cultural differences of France from Korea can cause adoptees to be unexpectedly hesitant about learning any more about one’s identity and interest in Korea, while also possibly leading adoptees to question and rebel against being French.
Among other honest testimonials, Ae-ja, a French-adopted Korean, shared her journey to Korea on Racines’ website. Ae-ja traveled to Gyeongju for what she deemed her most important reunion. “My mother, I immediately recognized. She had not changed at all.” Ae-ja and her mother exchanged memories, with Ae-ja learning that her father had passed away and Ae-ja also understanding that they both had suffered, even while apart. “We have been through a lot together,” she stated.
Inspired by Racines’ success, Charbonnier has created her own organization, with the help of fellow adoptees Cecilia February and Ivann Lamy: the Conseil National des Adoptés (translated as “the National Council of Adoptees”), also headquartered in Paris, France.
Charbonnier’s personal journey of discovering her Korean identity started as a university student with Racines and will continue now and into the future, even with the help of Gwangju’s GIC. “It is a center of resources, and we [adoptees] may have some questions about the city or a district. I need some connections in every single city in Korea, to connect my members … who have an intimate link with Korea.”
For more information on Racines coréennes and the Conseil National des Adoptés, visit: www.racinescoreennes.org and www.conseil-national-adoptes.fr. English is available on both websites by clicking on “Translate this page” before accessing either website.