Seoul Colloquium in Korean Studies
(Organized by the Seoul Center of the ÉFEO and RAS Korea)

2 years in North Korea (2011-2013): notes from the First Director of the French Office in Pyongyang

SPEAKER: Olivier Vaysset

The May 2023 session of the “Seoul Colloquium in Korean Studies” organized jointly by the Seoul Center of the EFEO and RAS Korea will be held on Thursday May 4, beginning at 6:00 pm (Korean Time), via Zoom.

DATE: Thursday. May 4, 2023. 6:00PM (KST)

VENUE: Online Zoom

All who wish to participate MUST register in advance by sending an email to efeoseoul@hotmail.com, mentioning their full name and affiliation. A Zoom link will then be sent to them.

[Image: Little boy at Sinuiju railway station © Olivier Vaysset]

SUMMARY:

1. North Korea: the birth of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK): 9 September 1948 under Soviet tutelage.

2. Korean War: 22 June 1950 – 27 July 1953: the US, China and DPRKsigned an armistice. French participation to the UN intervention force (1950-1953).

3. French North Korean Relations:

4. My sources of information or how to deal with the scarcity of news.

5. The French presence in North Korea.

6. ODA: yes or no.

7. About Pyongyang and its surroundings.

8. Travelling in North Korea.

BIO:

Olivier Vaysset was a part-time instructor at Keio International Center (2018-2022) giving a course about “France & Europe Asian Policy since WWII”. He received an MA in History and Chinese language and Civilization, Jussieu, University of Paris 7. He took a private summer program at Tung-wu Ta-hsüeh University, Taipei (1976), then received a Certificate of the History of Modern China, from Nanjing and Beijing Universities during his 2 years as a foreign student with a Chinese government scholarship (1979-1981).

A former French diplomat (1984-2017), he was stationed mainly in Asia: Laos: 1989-92, Japan: 1992-95, Burma: 1995-99, Taiwan: 2002-06, Singapore: 2006-08, D.P.R. of Korea as the 1st Director of the French Cooperation Office in Pyongyang: 2011-13, Consul General in Chengdu, P.R. China: 2013-16.

His interests have been very diverse, covering in particular foreign policy & cooperation.

We hope that as many as possible of you can join us for this event.

Élisabeth Chabanol, Head of the Seoul Center, French School of Asian Studies/École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO)

Brother Anthony, President Emeritus, Royal Asiatic Society Korea