Normandy leader encourages firms to explore French region

Herve Morin, left, president of Normandy region in France, and Luc Lesenecal, CEO of the French apparel company Saint James, discuss the competitiveness of Normandy and its businesses during a luncheon held in the last week of October in Seoul. / Courtesy of the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry

By Kim Ji-soo

Herve Morin, president of Normandy, said the French region can give significant opportunities to Korean businesses looking to further expand in Europe. The former French defense minister (2007-2010) was in Korea from Oct. 28 to 30, along with representatives from companies based in Normandy.

About two hours from Paris, Normandy is famous for Mont-Saint-Michel, the 1944 D-Day landings, and the beaches and picturesque towns of Honfleur and Deauville.

If Korea were to find a similar city or region, it would be Incheon. In fact, while in Korea, Morin met with the Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok. The two signed a memorandum of understanding between Incheon and Normandy that included exchanges between museums marking the Incheon Landing during the 1950-53 Korean War and the D-Day in Caen, Normandy, during World War II.

But Morin also wants Korea to discover the business potential of his region, which leads in agri-food industry, and wind and marine energy industries.

This is his first trip to Korea, and he brought representatives from 10 companies with him, including world-renowned dairy products company Cooperative Isigny Sainte Mere and premium clothing company Les Tricots Saint James, which is well-known for its stripe marine T-shirts and wool sweaters.

Before traveling to Korea, Morin said he heard disturbing news about the Korean Peninsula on French radio.

"But yesterday, I visited the truce village of Panmunjeom and I can safely say that French citizens can come to Korea 365 days a year, morning, afternoon and night," he said during an interview in Seoul last week.

"Historically, reason has always won over madness. Also, respective regions of the world do not stand by themselves; they are interconnected and therefore serve as mechanisms that enable reasonable actions (among states)," Morin added.

Morin saw neither regional tension nor business difficulties in Korea, adding that he could see with his eyes why Korea has made its place in the world economy.

"Korea and France have had many traditional exchanges, and any country looking to continue to grow in the 21st century cannot do so without conducting exchanges with the open country that is Korea," Morin said. In September, President Moon Jae-in met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Germany on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, and the two leaders agreed to hold annual talks between their defense and foreign ministers, and to form a minister-level consultation dialogue in the economy, education and scientific sectors.

The white cliffs and shore of Etretat in Normandy, France

Morin, seated with Luc Lesenecal, CEO of Saint James for the interview, found Korean consumers to be particular about the quality and origin of products. Asked about competitiveness of Normandy region companies, Lesenecal said, "Among the 1,300 EVP (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) that the French government has recognized, 52 are from the Normandy region. To become an EVP company, three criteria must be met. First a company's knowhow must be recognized and the company must have been founded before the 1900s. Second, the knowhow has to be succeeded through generations. And third, the knowhow has to be very special."

Saint James, which was started in 1850, makes its products in its 300-person factory near Mont Saint-Michel. Its manufacturing process involves a lot of human time and effort; a wool matelot fisherman sweater requires 23 kilometers of wool yarn, 18 knitting stages and 15 days before packaging.

In purchasing power, Lesenecal said in the case of Saint James, Korean consumers belong to the top-tier bracket, and come only just behind Japanese ones. While the company entered Japan 20 years ago, it entered Korea only in 2010.

Lesenecal has been with Saint James for seven years and previously worked at the Cooperative Isigny Sainte Mere for more than two decades.

Asked about differences between leading a dairy company and an apparel company, Lesenecal said,

"Butter is to Isigny as striped shirts are to Saint James. Both companies have knowhow, history and the same philosophy," he said.

Asked if he had any advice for domestic Korean firms, Lesenecal said, "Stick to your knowhow, a very good knowhow. That means quality for a finer product."

Both Morin and Lesenecal said the openness of Koreans, like that of Latin people, is appealing.

"They are more open to exchanges, and they seem more natural with meetings in person," the two said.

Morin, a native of Normandy, studied at Science Po. A former mayor of Epernay, Normandy, he currently leads the political party Les Centrists.

Korea Times intern Rha Hae-sung contributed to this article.

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