A French chef of South Korean origin joins the Olympic torch relay.

“After being adopted by my French parents, I saw the Seoul Olympic Games on TV one day. It got me thinking that I could return to South Korea if I became a great athlete. That’s why I worked out so hard,” recalled Pierre Sang Boyer, a successful chef adopted from South Korea to France at the age of seven, in an interview regarding his participation in the torch relay for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics scheduled next Friday. He said at his restaurant in Paris, “I enthusiastically played lots of sports: soccer, tennis, table tennis, judo, and you name it,” adding that he found comfort in watching the Seoul Olympic games in a country that only came across unfamiliar to the little boy from South Korea.

Born in South Korea, Boyer was adopted via Holt Child Sponsorship & Adoption Agency to Le Puy-en-Velay, a mountain village in southern France. His adoption documents say that his Korean name was Kim Sang-man. His French parents wanted to give it to him as his middle name. However, only the letter “Sang” became part of his full name because of a government officer’s documentation mistake. He has grown up as one of the most successful chefs, with 11 restaurants in and around Paris. Back in 2015, he visited South Korea, accompanying then-French President François Hollande on the 130th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between South Korea and France. He took the helm of a Louis Vuitton pop-up restaurant built in Seoul in 2022.

Asked how he feels about his torch relay, Pierre replied, “The last thing I want is that I will get so emotional that I mess up while running,” adding that he would even cry running, recalling all the hard times and appreciating such precious rewards for his efforts.

Back then, things were never easy for the boy adopted from South Korea to France. He said, “At first, I had a hard time accepting that I was different. However, I handled my concerns and stressful experiences thanks to a boost of adrenaline.” Likening his life journey to a marathon race in the Olympics, he recalled that he had so many thankful people, just as great athletes get help from their family and coaching staff. “Even when we live in a hectic world, we should not forget all the challenging moments we have gone through with the help of grateful people around us.”


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com