Choi Jeong-hwa, a renowned professor emeritus at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and a key interpreter for Korea-France summits from the 1980s to the 2000s, passed away on June 14 at the age of 71.
Born in Seoul, Choi graduated from Kyunggi Girls' High School and earned her bachelor's degree in French from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. She later obtained her master's and doctoral degrees from the Interpretation School at Paris III University.
At a time when there were no interpretation programs in South Korea, Choi became the first Korean to conduct simultaneous interpretation at international conferences after graduating with her master's degree in 1981. Prior to the 1980s, diplomatic meetings were conducted using consecutive interpretation.
Choi served as the official interpreter for former President Chun Doo-hwan's visit to France in 1986, translating during his summit with President François Mitterrand. She continued to be a go-to interpreter for summits held in France in 1989 and in South Korea in 1993.
Over her career, she interpreted at more than 20 summits and around 2,000 international conferences, including meetings between President Jacques Chirac and former President Roh Moo-hyun. In a 2023 appearance on 'EBS Invitation,' she recounted how Mitterrand had invited her to contact him whenever she visited Paris, leading to a private meeting at the Élysée Palace.
After returning to South Korea in 1987, Choi became a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 1988, dedicating her efforts to advancing the field of interpretation. In 2003, she founded the Korea Image Communication Institute (CICI) and organized various cultural exchange events, including the Korea Image Awards. That same year, she became the first Korean woman to receive the Chevalier (Knight) rank of the Legion of Honor, followed by the Officier (Officer) rank the following year.
Her funeral will be held at Samsung Medical Center, Room 6, with the burial scheduled for 7 a.m. on June 17 at the Gaenari Memorial Park in Jecheon.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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