France's first Korean-born minister on landmark Seoul visit
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French Junior Minister in charge of small and medium enterprises and the digital economy Fleur Pellerin speaks during a talk organised by the French Chamber Commerce in Hong Kong on March 7, 2013. Ms Pellerin begins a highly symbolic trip this weekend to South Korea, the land of her birth, where she is a celebrity due to her roots and a rags-to-riches story. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
PARIS (AFP) - French minister Fleur Pellerin begins a highly symbolic trip this weekend to South Korea, the land of her birth, where she is a celebrity due to her roots and a rags-to-riches story.
Ms Pellerin, the junior minister for small and medium enterprises, innovation, and the digital economy, is due to meet with South Korea's President Park Geun Hye, its prime minister and top officials from leading chaebols, or business conglomerates, such as Samsung and Hyundai.
Born in 1973 in Seoul and abandoned, Ms Pellerin was adopted by a French couple six months later from an orphanage and came to France. She has never been back to her homeland.
Her trip to South Korea and Japan begins on Saturday and ends on Friday.
