French Ambassador to South Korea Jerome Pasquier was awarded the Korea CQ Culture Award, during Corea Image and Culture Institute’s CQ 16 graduation party at his residence in Seoul on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s reception marked the completion of CICI’s 16th session. France’s top diplomatic representative here joined CICI soon after he presented his credentials in February.

Pasquier said that in a sense his association with CICI began long before the organization was founded in 2003, as he and CICI founder and president Choi Jung-hwa have known each other for 28 years.

“We met in 1986 in Paris during the official state visit of President Chun,” he said during the reception. “I have known Jung-hwa for a very long time.”

They first met when Choi was a French-Korean simultaneous interpreter for former President Chun Doo-hwan.

Pasquier and Choi met again when the career diplomat served as cultural counselor at the French Embassy, from 1988-1992.

Tuesday’s reception marked the end of CQ 16. Cho said 20 members have already signed up for the spring’s CQ 17 session. Choi encourages foreign envoys to sign up quickly.

The group organizes two sessions a year in which members meet up to share art, food and their cultural heritage. CICI’s “CQ” stands for Culture Quotient, and the group awards members in five areas ― culture, concentration, communication, creativity and cooperation.

By Philip Iglauer (ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)