Seoul: Choi Jung-wha, professor emeritus at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) and president of the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), became the first Korean woman to be awarded the Officier grade of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest order of merit.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Choi received the award at the French ambassador’s residence in Seoul on Thursday in recognition of her contributions to promoting relations and cultural exchanges between South Korea and France.
Established in 1802, the Legion of Honor is the highest French national order of merit to recognize individuals who have made great contributions to France. The grades are divided into five: Chevalier, Officier, Commandeur, Grand Officier, and Grand-Croix in ascending order of rank. In 2003, Choi was awarded the Chevalier grade.
Along with Choi, American director James Cameron and Irish politician Simon Coveney, among others, received the same honor. After graduating from HUFS with a major in French, she pursued studies at the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation (ESIT) at Paris III university. There, she became the first Korean to qualify as an international interpreter. She later earned her doctorate from the ESIT.
Upon returning to Korea in 1987, she worked as a professor at the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at HUFS. She has not only served as an interpreter at key government functions and Korea-France summits but also actively engaged in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries. She co-founded the international academic journal Forum and served as the editor-in-chief of the French edition of Koreana, a magazine by the Korea Foundation.
In addition, she has organized the Korea Image Awards ceremony and Cultural Communication Forum since she founded CICI in 2003. As a founding member of the Hanbul (Korea-France) Club in 2015, she now serves as its secretary-general. Upon receiving the honor, Choi described it as “an encouragement to continue on the path of strengthening ties between the two countries.”
“With a sincere heart, I will build bridges connecting people to people and culture to culture,” she said.