Newly redone French Embassy in Seoul opens to public

The French Embassy in Seoul, long considered an architectural treasure in the city, revealed its new face to the wider public on Friday...

The pavilion of the French Embassy in Seoul [EMBASSY OF FRANCE IN KOREA]

The French Embassy in Seoul, long considered an architectural treasure in the city, revealed its new face to the wider public on Friday.

“We tried to keep to the foundational spirit of architect master Kim Chung-up, while also ensuring that the final result reflects the expanded scope of friendship and diplomatic relations of France and Korea,” said Cho Min-suk, architect and founder of Mass Studies, in speaking with the press at the French diplomatic residence in Seoul on Friday.

Mass Studies and Paris-based architecture company Sathy won the bid from the French Foreign Ministry to renovate the structures of the French Embassy in Seoul, which were originally designed and built by Kim, well-known in both Korea and France for his visionary architectural designs. Kim was awarded the Chevalier, one of the Legion of Honor in France, in 1965 for his work on the embassy.

The renovation, funded by the French government since 2015, was completed earlier this year. Friday’s press conference was arranged by the embassy on the occasion of Bastille Day, the national day of France celebrating the dismantling of the Bastille fortress on July 14, 1789.

“I would like to draw your attention to the historic foundation of where we are today,” Philippe Lefort, ambassador of France to Korea, said in addressing members of the press at his diplomatic residence in Seoul.

From left, Philippe Lefort, ambassador of France to Korea; Cho Min-suk, architect and founder of Mass Studies; and Jeong Min-joo, architect and director of Sathy Korea, speak with the press about the newly renovated and restored French Embassy in Seoul at the embassy on Friday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

The French Embassy compounds are located close to Chungjeongno Station in central Seoul. The estate was bought by the French government in 1905, shortly after Korea signed a treaty with then-Imperial Japan in which Korea’s rights to conduct foreign policy were handed over to Japan.

“Even as Korea continued to fight for its independence, the French diplomats continued to reside in the country, in this very location,” said Lefort. “Of course, with many years the structures all aged, that the French government decided it was time to renovate and restore.”

What once used to rise above the tile-roofed hanok (traditional Korean houses) of the area and with a view of the Han River, the estate today is surrounded by high-rise buildings characteristic of the city’s skyline.

The renovated compounds consist of three main structures: the diplomatic residence, a pavilion that previously held the ambassador’s office and an office tower.

The architects said they were constantly in deliberations over how much they can, or should, veer from the original designs of Kim Chung-up.

The stairway connecting the first and second floors of the pavilion of the French Embassy in Seoul shows a photograph of Kim Chung-up. The renovated pavilion has been dedicated to Kim and is called La Pavilion Kim Chung-up. [PARK SANG-MOON]

“We also had factors that we had to work around, such as the terrain structure of the estate,” said Jeong Min-joo, architect and director of Sathy Korea, referring to the 12-meter (39-foot) gap between the highest and lowest points of the estate.

They kept the classic design of the pavilion’s curved rooftop, which had been praised by experts over the years for its mix of Asian and European architectural characteristics.

Sathy and Mass Studies also consulted the documents and records on Kim and his works stored at the museum dedicated to him in Anyang, Gyeonggi.

“These records helped us get inside Kim’s head a little bit and bring out features that are quite classically from the architect,” Cho said.

The water pool placed at the foot of the stairway connecting the pavilion’s first and second floors, restored to its former state, is one such feature.

The pavilion, now used as an office space, gallery and conference hall, has an extended area called la jetée, which has a rooftop walkway that lends one of the best views of the pavilion’s rooftop.

The embassy compounds were open to visitors on Friday for the Bastille Day celebrations.

The pavilion of the French Embassy in Seoul as seen from the rooftop terrace of la jetée on Friday. [ESTHER CHUNG]

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]