Joachim Son-Forget

Joachim Jean-Marie Forget[1] (né Kim Jae Duk; Korean: 김재덕;[2] born 15 April 1983), known as Joachim Son-Forget (/sɒn ˈfɔːrʒeɪ/ son FOR-zhay, French: [ʒɔakim sɔn fɔʁʒɛ])[3] is a South Korean-born French politician. Holding a doctorate in neuroscience, he also works part-time as a radiologist in Switzerland. He has held Kosovar citizenship since 2018.[4]

Joachim Son-Forget
Member of the National Assembly
for the 6th constituency for French residents overseas
In office
21 June 2017 – 21 June 2022
Preceded byClaudine Schmid
Succeeded byMarc Ferracci
Personal details
Born
Kim Jae Duk

(1983-04-15) 15 April 1983
Seoul, South Korea
NationalityFrench
Kosovar
Political partyIndependent (since 2022)
Other political
affiliations		Socialist Party (until 2014)
La République En Marche! (2017–2018)
Valeur Absolue (2019–2021)
Reconquête (2022)
Children2
ProfessionRadiologist

Adopted by a French family as a child, Son-Forget was previously active within the Socialist Party (PS), then liberal party La République En Marche! (LREM) until he resigned from the party in late 2018. He then founded his own political party Valeur Absolue, and since 2021 has been involved alongside far-right party Reconquête.[5] Son-Forget has variously labeled himself a liberal,[6] a right-winger,[7] a supporter of the European Union[8] and of French President Emmanuel Macron.[9]

Since his election as a member of the National Assembly in 2017, Son-Forget has made multiple appearances in interviews and talk shows and is an active user of social media.[5] On the Internet, his publishing of satirical content and memes drew attention from the press;[5] his use of social media has been described as "trolling" by various media outlets,[10][11][12][13] and has been the subject of controversy within French politics.

Biography

Early life

Born in South Korea, Joachim Son-Forget was adopted by a French family as a child and grew up in Langres, before studying in Dijon, Paris and Lausanne.[14]

In 2005, he received a Master 2 in cognitive science from CogMaster (co-accredited by Paris Descartes University, EHESS and ENS Ulm) with cognitive psychologist Stanislas Dehaene. In 2008 he graduated at the end of the second cycle (Master 2) of medical studies at the University of Burgundy. In 2015, he obtained a doctorate MD-PhD in medicine and cognitive neuroscience. The subject of his thesis was "Visuo-vestibular mechanisms of bodily self-consciousness".[1]

Political career

Son-Forget supported Socialist candidate François Hollande during the 2012 French presidential election. He was secretary of the Geneva section of the French Socialist Party within the Federation of French Abroad, and chairman of the committee of activists of the Party of European Socialists in Switzerland, before taking leave in 2014.[15] In 2017, he joined then-presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron's political movement, "En Marche!" which later became La République En Marche (LREM).

2017 French legislative election

Son-Forget was the LREM candidate in the 2017 French legislative election for the sixth constituency for French residents overseas, which covers Switzerland and Liechtenstein. He progressed to the second round and defeated Republican candidate Claudine Schmid with 74.94% of the vote and 18.78% turnout.[16]

Member of the National Assembly
Son-Forget in 2017

As a member of the National Assembly, Son-Forget sat on the Foreign Affairs Committee and served as president of the France-South Korea Friendship Group[17] and vice-president of the France-Kosovo Friendship Group.[18] With La France Insoumise (LFI) member Jean-Luc Mélenchon, he co-wrote a report on France's strategy on seas and oceans.[19]

In October 2018, he was a candidate in an internal election for Executive Officer of LREM, opposing fellow Member of Parliament Stanislas Guerini.[20][21] He was defeated with 18% of the vote.[21]

On 29 December 2018, Son-Forget resigned from both LREM and its parliamentary group amidst controversy on social networks and a spat with Green Senator Esther Benbassa.[22][23] He declared he was still supporting President Macron.[23]

On 31 December 2018, Son-Forget announced he would create his own political party, Je suis français et européen ("I am French and European") abbreviated as JSFee.[note 1][10] The party was renamed in July 2019 as Valeur Absolue (which translates to "absolute value").[25][26]

In January 2019, Son-Forget joined center-right parliamentary group UDI, Agir and Independents[27][28] and left in December of that year.[9][29] He sat as a Non-Attached member of the National Assembly for the remainder of his mandate.[30]

2022 French elections

In February 2020, invited on talk show Touche pas à mon poste !, Son-Forget announced he would run for the 2022 French presidential election, introducing Alexandre Benalla (former deputy chief of staff to Emmanuel Macron) as one of his supporters.[31] Previously, Son-Forget had attempted to have Benalla hired as his parliamentary assistant, but his application was rejected by the National Assembly.[32]

In 2021, Son-Forget began assisting and actively gathering support for far-right presidential candidate Éric Zemmour early in Zemmour's campaign. Son-Forget's change of political affiliation, from socialism to liberalism to the far-right, has been described as a singular path by some in the French media, and surprised personalities within LREM of which he used to be a member.[5] In an interview on Sud Radio, Son-Forget insisted that neither he nor Zemmour were far-right, labeling himself as a conservative.[7] After Zemmour was eliminated in the first round of the presidential election, Son-Forget endorsed candidate Emmanuel Macron ahead of the second round.[6]

During the presidential campaign, Son-Forget had expressed his desire to run for the upcoming legislative election, representing Reconquête (the party founded by Zemmour).[33] He eventually ran for re-election in his constituency as an independent candidate[34] and was defeated in the first round with 4.5% of the vote.[35][36]

Controversies

On 23 December 2018, through his Twitter account, Son-Forget called out Green Senator Esther Benbassa for her recent remarks on the yellow vests movement; additionally, Son-Forget made derogatory comments about Benbassa's makeup habits. The controversy that ensued prompted him to address "haters" through satirical statements and Internet memes.[23][37] This behavior was criticized by fellow members of LREM; Executive Officer Stanislas Guerini announced the party would issue him a "warning letter".[38] Son-Forget, who stated his intent was to go viral on social media using "cognitive psychology",[23] refused to apologize, and later declared he was quitting the party.[22]

In December 2019, Son-Forget published online a picture of him posing with nationalist politician Marion Maréchal, describing it as a "teaser". This move was condemned by Jean-Christophe Lagarde, president of parliamentary group UDI, Agir and Independents (UAI) of which Son-Forget had become a member; Lagarde explained that the values of the group were incompatible with nationalism. In response, Son-Forget resigned from UAI.[29]

On 18 April 2020, Son-Forget's Twitter account was edited to impersonate president Emmanuel Macron and began posting messages of satirical nature. Son-Forget later changed his account back to normal, claiming that someone had been maliciously using his account.[39][40] A similar incident happened in January 2021 after Twitter's permanent account suspension of Donald Trump, when Son-Forget edited his account to impersonate Trump; Twitter subsequently suspended Son-Forget's own account.[41][42]

Personal life

Son-Forget currently lives in Switzerland with his two children and his second wife, a Korean national.[43][44]

Son-Forget has reportedly been passionate about Kosovo since he was a teenager[43][45] and was a Vice-President of the France-Kosovo relations group in the French National Assembly.[18] In 2018, then-President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi personally awarded Kosovar citizenship to Son-Forget.[4][43]

Aside from his political and medical career, Son-Forget plays the harpsichord[44] and practices long range shooting and various martial arts such as karate.[45] In 2019, he recorded a song titled En Couleurs, featuring Doc Gynéco.[46]

References

Notes
  1. The abbreviation capitalizes "JSF", which stands for both je suis français (I am French) and the initials of his own name.[24]

Citations
  1. Forget, Joachim (31 August 2015). Visuo-vestibular mechanisms of bodily self-consciousness (Thesis). École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. doi:10.5075/epfl-thesis-6715. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  2. "[단독 인터뷰]입양前 이름은 '김재덕'… 사랑하는 아내 姓따라 '손재덕'으로". www.donga.com (in Korean). 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  3. Martrette-Gomez, Bruno (17 October 2017). "La Consult' de Joachim Son-Forget #18". www.whatsupdoc-lemag.fr (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. "Un député LREM né à Séoul et représentant les Français de Suisse devient... Kosovar" (in French). AFP via France 24. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  5. "Joachim Son-Forget, de «champion» macroniste à fervent soutien d'Eric Zemmour". Le Temps (in French). 2021-11-12. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  6. ""Contre la trahison nationale, je voterai Macron le 24 avril"". Blick (in French). 13 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  7. ""Si Éric Zemmour était d'extrême droite, je ne le soutiendrais pas !" affirme Joachim Son-Forget". Sud Radio (in French). 3 December 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  8. "Le député ex-LREM Joachim Son-Forget propose une "présidence tournante"". Europe 1 (in French). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  9. "Politique. Le député Joachim Son-Forget quitte le groupe UDI et s'affiche avec Marion Maréchal". Ouest-France (in French). 18 December 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  10. Pétreault, Clément (31 December 2018). "Joachim Son-Forget : Le "roi des trolls" fonde son parti politique". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. Le Pennec, Tony (14 February 2020). "Comment Son-Forget est devenu député-troll". Arrêt sur images (in French). Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  12. Pitrel, Thomas (8 February 2019). "Joachim Son-Forget, le troll". Society (in French). No. 99. p. 62. ISSN 2426-5780.
  13. Perru, Axel (2 May 2022). "Sortie de route, promotion… Que sont devenus les députés "société civile" de la Macronie ?". Marianne (in French). Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  14. "Joachim Son-Forget élu par les Français de Suisse". La Tribune de Genève (in French). 2017-06-19. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  15. Solenn de Royer (2014-10-05). "Ces militants PS qui ne veulent plus de Hollande en 2017" (in French). Le Figaro. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  16. "2017 French legislative election results". interieur.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  17. "Composition du groupe d'amitié France-Corée du Sud". National Assembly (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  18. "Composition du groupe d'amitié France-Kosovo". National Assembly (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  19. "Mission d'information sur les mers et océans : quelle stratégie pour la France ?". National Assembly (in French). Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  20. Vandekerkhove, Charlie (16 November 2018). "Stanislas Guerini et Joachim Son-Forget candidats officiels pour prendre la tête de LaREM". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  21. Lemarié, Alexandre (1 December 2018). "Le député Stanislas Guerini élu à la tête de La République en marche". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  22. "Le député Joachim Son-Forget, auteur de dérapages sur Twitter, quitte La République en marche". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  23. "Le groupe LREM se désolidarise de Joachim Son-Forget après ses tweets sexistes" (in French). Le Point. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  24. Schmitt, Camille (2 January 2019). "Joachim Son-Forget : l'ex-député REM fonde son parti politique". RTL (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  25. Announcement n. 1689 for the creation of political association Valeur Absolue (in French) on the Journal Officiel (20 July 2019).
  26. de Villaines, Astrid (14 February 2020). "Le virage trash de Joachim Son-Forget, le député qui a relayé la vidéo de Griveaux". Le HuffPost (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  27. Focraud, Arnaud (15 January 2019). "Joachim Son-Forget rejoint le groupe UDI : "Il ne mérite pas l'ostracisme", défend Jean-Christophe Lagarde". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  28. Ducros, Christine (15 January 2019). "Le député provocateur Joachim Son-Forget rejoint l'UDI en promettant de s'amender". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  29. N.Be. (19 December 2019). "Le député UDI Joachim Son-Forget, ex-LREM, quitte son groupe et se rapproche de Marion Maréchal". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  30. "M. Joachim Son-Forget". National Assembly (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  31. "" TPMP " : Joachim Son-Forget annonce sa candidature à la présidentielle de 2022". 20 minutes (in French). 13 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  32. "L'Assemblée interdit à Benalla de devenir l'assistant parlementaire du député Son-Forget". L'Express (in French). 11 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  33. Grépinet, Mariana (17 March 2022). "Le périple ukrainien du député Joachim Son-Forget". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  34. Werly, Richard (23 May 2022). "Joachim Son-Forget repart à l'assaut des urnes françaises de Suisse". blick.ch (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  35. "Législatives. Le député sortant Joachim Son-Forget, ex-LREM, éliminé dès le premier tour". ouest-france.fr (in French). 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  36. "Législatives 2022 : défaite au premier tour pour Joachim Son-Forget, l'élu passé de LREM au soutien affiché à Zemmour". ladepeche.fr (in French). 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  37. "Propos sexistes : Joachim Son-Forget recadré par le chef des députés LRM" (in French). Le Monde. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  38. "" Pot de maquillage " : une lettre d'avertissement pour Joachim Son-Forget" (in French). Le Point. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  39. "Sur Twitter, le compte de Son-Forget se transforme en celui de Macron". Le Point (in French). 19 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  40. Serradeil, Robin (19 April 2020). "Quand le député Joachim Son Forget usurpe l'identité d'Emmanuel Macron sur Twitter et dénonce un piratage". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  41. "Twitter suspends French MP for impersonating Donald Trump". POLITICO. 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  42. El Mosselli, Sabrina (9 January 2021). "Le député Joachim Son-Forget se fait passer pour Donald Trump sur Twitter, son compte est suspendu". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  43. Vaulerin, Arnaud (9 July 2018). "Joachim Son-Forget, corépublicain". Libération (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  44. Lecomte, Christian (2017-05-14). "Joachim Son-Forget, résilient de la République". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  45. Burel, Lucas (27 December 2018). "Karaté, tir au fusil, Kosovar... 7 choses à savoir sur le député Joachim Son-Forget". L'Obs (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  46. Rossignol, Aurélie (29 March 2019). "Le député Joachim Son-Forget et Doc Gynéco ont enregistré un morceau sur les Gilets jaunes". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
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