Prof. Moon Si-yeon

By Alexander Ahn

Moon Si-yeon, professor of French language and culture at Sookmyung Women's University, won National Order of Merit for culture and the arts from the French government on Thursday.

The French Ministry of Culture and Communication named Moon an officer in the Order of Arts and Letters, the second-highest French cultural order for foreign recipients in recognition of her efforts to promote French culture in Korea.

Established on May 2, 1957, by the minister of culture, the award is one of France’s top accolades recognizing significant contributions to the enrichment of French cultural inheritance in the form of arts and literature.

Previously, Moon received the third-highest honor of honorary chevalier of the Order of Merit, from the French Ministry of Education in 2007.

She supervised a Korean/French cultural policy forum, the first of its kind, which brought together policymakers from both nations’ ministries of culture.

Sookmyung Women’s University is opening a French culture management major and will operate a joint degree with France’s prestigious Paris Dauphine University.

Also in collaboration with the French Embassy in Korea, the female-only university employs French cultural policy staff thereby contributing to cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries.