Ballerina Park Se-eun Awarded French Order of Arts and Letters for Cultural Contributions

Seventh Korean Honoree
First Asian Principal Dancer at Paris Opera Ballet

Ballerina Park Se-eun (34) received the Cultural and Artistic Merit Medal awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.

Ballerina Park Se-eun.
[Photo by Etoile Classic]

On the 2nd, her agency Etoile Classic announced that Park Se-eun recently received the 'Chevalier' grade medal and certificate in the name of Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture, in Paris, France.

The Chevalier Medal is awarded by the French government to individuals who have contributed to the development of culture and the arts. The French Cultural and Artistic Merit Medal is divided into three grades: Commandeur (highest grade), Officier, and Chevalier.

There have been a total of six Korean recipients to date. Conductor Chung Myung-whun received the highest grade, Commandeur, in 2011; painter Kim Chang-yeol (2017) and film directors Bong Joon-ho (2016) and Kim Ji-woon (2018) were awarded Officier. Actress Jeon Do-yeon (2009) and fashion designer Andr? Kim (2000) received the Chevalier.

Park Se-eun made headlines in 2021 as the first Asian dancer to be promoted to ?toile (principal dancer) of the Paris Opera Ballet. She won the Grand Prix at the 2007 Lausanne Competition and received the Best Female Dancer Award at the prestigious 'Benois de la Danse' ceremony in 2018.

Park Se-eun is currently active as a principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet for the 2023?2024 season. She is scheduled to perform as the lead in 'The Nutcracker' on the stage of the Bastille Theatre this month.

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