Jean-Vincent Place, a Korean adoptee-turned-French minister, was eager to be back in his motherland Monday, despite the painful memories of his years in an orphanage.
He was especially glad to be back as the French minister for state reform and simplification, a theme that fits well with the South Korean government's own push to ease regulations and revive its economy.
During his three-day stay in Seoul, the 48-year-old minister said he plans to meet with Interior Minister Hong Yun-sik and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, among others, for talks on state reform and cutting red tape.
"France is working to modernize itself at the state level," Place said in an interview with local reporters at the French ambassador's residence. "It involves improving or getting rid of various regulations. There are useful regulations but many unnecessary ones, and my job is to remove and simplify them."
French President Francois Hollande has termed the campaign "simplification shock," the minister said.
In a similar vein, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has called for deregulating the economy, likening unnecessary regulations to a "lump of cancer."
Place declined to comment on South Korea's reform efforts, saying only that he has closely followed the country's politics, including last month's parliamentary elections.
His interest in his native country began just several years ago as he learned to come to terms with his past.
"I had difficult memories of my time at an orphanage and didn't have good feelings toward Korea," he said. "But after returning to Korea (in 2011), I was happy."
That experience of returning to his roots some 35 years after being adopted led him to write the autobiographical book, "Pourquoi pas moi!," which translates to "Why not me!"
Since 2011, Place has come back a total of seven times, this time to attend an international conference organized by a local news organization. He also plans to visit a state adoption agency.
"Nowadays, I've developed a large interest for K-pop and Korean culture," the minister said. "I don't know what my (2-year-old) daughter would say, but I'd like her to start learning Korean next year. And then I'd like for us to travel together to places like Seoul, Busan and Geoje."
Place took office in February after a long political career that began as an aide to a lawmaker. In 2011, he was elected to the French Senate, becoming the first Korean-born person to take the political post. He formerly served as vice secretary-general of the Green Party. (Yonhap)
