Interview From Nantes, France to Gwangju, Korea: Art Director Lee Jung-joo of 'Maison Ieum' Charts the Horizon of Bidirectional Cultural Exchange

The landscape of cultural exchange is shifting away from one-time events and one-directional benefit. Korean culture that has taken root for 12 years in Nantes, France is now moving its stage to Gwangju, a city of artistic traditions in South Korea, yielding the fruits of genuine bidirectional exchange.

The Second 'Autumn of France' Festival, taking place over four days starting October 9 around Urban Brook in Nam-gu, Gwangju, is a symbolic venue for this transformation. It is an officially recognized project commemorating the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations and an achievement of long-term private-level exchange under the slogan 'La Table qui relie les villes' (The Table That Connects Cities).

At the center of planning and leading this grand endeavor is Lee Jung-joo, a geomungo (traditional Korean zither) player and composer, who serves as art director. He was selected as the first Korean traditional instrument player in the world music category for 'Génération SPEDIDAM 2025-2027,' a major French arts support program, accumulating unique artistic achievements in France. We met with Lee, who founded the 'Spring of Korea' festival in Nantes, France in 2013, to hear directly about his philosophy of bidirectional cultural exchange and the vision of the association 'Maison Ieum,' which is soon to be launched.

Q. Your belief is striking: "If Spring of Korea blossomed in France, then Autumn of France must also bear fruit in Korea." What prompted you to host the Second 'Autumn of France' Festival in Gwangju?

"Traveling through the regions, I always had this question: 'Why does cultural exchange always have to flow only through Seoul or in one direction?' For over 15 years of work in Nantes, France, I deepened Korean culture's roots there through the 'Spring of Korea' festival.

However, exchange truly gains vitality only when it flows bidirectionally. Just as Spring of Korea blossomed in France, I thought French culture should now bear deep fruit in Korean regions, particularly in Gwangju, which possesses the rich sensibility of an artistic city. I wanted to create a genuine meeting place where artists, craftspeople, chefs, and local residents directly encounter one another and share their lives and creative work."

Q. In conjunction with this festival, the association 'Maison Ieum' is also being established. What meaning does it carry?

"After the dazzling fireworks of a one-time festival fade, the cultural solidarity and breath between the two countries must continue unbroken. The sustainable foundation for this is 'Maison Ieum.' 'Maison Ieum' embodies both a spatial meaning—the house (Maison), the departure point of individual lives and stories—and a philosophy of connection (Ieum) that links people to people, cities to cities, and nations to nations.

Going forward, it will establish itself as a solid permanent exchange platform organically connecting France's 'Spring of Korea' and Korea's 'Autumn of France.'"

Q. As art director, you have likened your role at Maison Ieum to that of a 'crane.' What do you mean by that?

"As an artist, I do not wish to become someone who does everything directly myself. If I were to compare my role, it would be close to 'a crane that builds structures.'

When constructing a building, a crane is the most visible presence, but it is not the protagonist of the building itself. It transports necessary materials to where they are needed at the right time, helps people in various fields play their roles, and allows the building to rise layer by layer. However, if a crane loses its center or fails to move properly, it is difficult to construct a sturdy building no matter how excellent the materials and technology.

I wish to become a facilitator—discovering and connecting good people and resources scattered among artists and craftspeople, chefs and planners, regions and institutions, and between Korea and France—so that each person can develop their capabilities in the place they are most needed."

Q. You were selected as 'a musician representing this era' (Génération SPEDIDAM) by France's SPEDIDAM, becoming the first Korean traditional instrument player to be named. How did your artistic activities and cultural exchange experiences in France serve as a foundation for conceiving 'Maison Ieum'?

"'Génération SPEDIDAM,' organized by SPEDIDAM, is a program that rigorously selects next-generation artists with artistic originality and growth potential through strict screening and provides concentrated support. Being the first Korean traditional instrument player to be named on this list is personally a great honor, but more meaningfully, it signified that the French stage fully recognized our musical language not as an 'event-based introduction of foreign culture' but as living art of our era.

What I learned through bumping into and experiencing the work of a musician in France is that art can ultimately be sustained only on the foundation of 'trust between people.' I didn't rely on one-directional communication with audiences or institutions or sporadic funding, but rather experienced through my entire being what local artisans and artists grappled with in their daily lives and how they connected their lives and art.

The deep trust and network I built through working alongside local artists did not merely result in a few more performances. That became nourishment, allowing it to be the most precious foundation for designing 'Maison Ieum'—a permanent platform and structure that helps the cultural resources and people of both nations interweave solidly."

Q. You say Maison Ieum aims to be a complex platform transcending simple artistic exchange. What are your specific plans?

"Culture and art are precious in themselves, but become more solid when accompanied by the breath of local communities and industries. Maison Ieum will not stop at artistic exchange but will pursue two forms of tangible expansion.

One is a Project-Based Learning (PBL) project that provides local university students with practical global stage experience, and the other is B2B market development that helps excellent local companies enter European markets. Rather than an organization that disappears after a one-time festival ends, our ultimate goal is to build 'a house of Korea-France cultural exchange' that grows over a long time—a complex platform connecting not only culture and art but also regional industries, education, and tourism, all based on trust between people."

Q. What are your long-term dreams and personal wishes for 'Maison Ieum' going forward?

"I hope Maison Ieum becomes a place—like a cherished 'spiritual home'—where young people and artists from both nations can always come and lean on, rather than a project that glimmers for a moment and disappears. It would be wonderful if countless connections traveling between France and Korea gain inspiration through this space and build further bridges in their own places. That is the most beautiful harmony and wish I dream of while playing the geomungo."

Concluding Remarks on the Interview

The reason Lee Jung-joo's geomungo melodies always resonate deeply is likely because they carry sincere conviction that transcends the mere plucking of strings to connect person to person, heart to heart. His steps from Nantes to Gwangju and then to the world demonstrate the true power of healing and solidarity that cultural art possesses.

Like the name 'Maison Ieum,' we hope artists and citizens of both nations build trust as they would construct warm homes in their own places. Rather than one-time flashy packaging, a sanctuary where trust seeps into each other's lives and shares deep friendship that endures for many years without crumbling. We sincerely wish that Korea-France cultural exchange will take flight to a wider world on that solid bridge, and that beautiful companionship transcending borders will continue endlessly.