● Margaux Laura Micheline Monique, PSB Paris School of Business


This semester, about 180 foreign students have come as part of an exchange student program to Keimyung University, and about 90 of them are from France. I heard from them that the French press reports there is a risk of war in Korea now, so I had an interview with one of the French students about it.

Q1. Please introduce yourself.
Hi. My name is Margaux. I’m 22 years old and I came from France as an exchange student.

Q2. What was the reason for coming as an exchange student and why did you choose Korea?
In our school, we have to go to another country as an exchange student in our third year. I wanted to try going to an Asian country where there are different cultures and customs from Europe. As for me, Korea was the best place to learn about a new country, so I chose Korea.

Q3. What do you want to do most in Korea?
I want to try various kinds of traditional Korean foods the most because they are very different from French foods.

Q4. What does the French press report about the Korean war?
The French press is very pessimistic about North Korea and the Korean war. So they always say a lot of things about the war without knowing how people in South Korea are thinking about it. For example, they say war will begin in a few days, so it’s really not safe for people to be in South Korea. Moreover, after we arrived in South Korea, we received two emails from our school telling us to be careful and asking us if we want to come back in France.

Q5. What are the perceptions of exchange students coming to Korea, including yourself?
My friends who came here with me and I don’t worry about the war because people in the international office said that there are bad news reports about North Korea every year but nothing happens. Also, after I spoke with some Korean students, I learned that Koreans are not worried about North Korea at all. So, I think it is not the Koreans but the French who are worried about the war.

Q6. Did your perception of Korea change after you came to Korea?
I think my perception of Korea did not change because I expected to meet nice people and Koreans are really nice as I expected.

Q7. What do you want to say to foreign students that think Korea is dangerous?
I think there is nothing to worry about because I have never heard of people here talking about the war. As for European students, I think it is a very good opportunity to visit Korea to learn about the differences between Korean and European cultures.