Pellerin was born in 1973 in Seoul, South Korea, where she was abandoned on the streets aged only three or four days' old before being rescued by an orphanage; six months later she was adopted by a French family. According to her adoption records she was called Kim Jong-Suk, although it is unclear how she came by that name. Raised by middle-class parents — her father, who has a doctorate in nuclear physics, is a small-business owner — she grew up in two Paris suburbs, Montreuil and Versailles.
Early career
Pellerin graduated from ESSECbusiness school while she was just 21. She then graduated from Sciences Po before attending the École nationale d'administration. She joined the French Court of Auditors where she rose to become a high-ranking civil servant. From 2010 to 2012, Pellerin served as president of the 21st Century Club, a French group that promotes diversity in employment.
Political career
Pellerin took charge of society and digital economy issues for Socialist Party candidate François Hollande in his successful 2012 French presidential election campaign. After Hollande's election, Pellerin was appointed as with responsibility for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Innovation and the Digital Economy. In July 2012, she publicly announced her opposition to the sale of massive surveillance technologies causing quite a stir in French political circles since France is one of the biggest sellers of such technology. In November 2013, she implemented the creation of the French Tech label.
In August 2014, Pellerin was appointed Minister of Culture as part of the first government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls. Shortly after Pellerin was appointed Minister of Culture, the French magazine L’Express reported that she vacationed at the Corsican villa owned by film producer Pascal Breton, raising ethics questions. In March 2015, Pellerin nominated Serge Lasvignes to head the Centre Pompidou, in a surprise choice to replace Alain Seban. Under her leadership, the French Culture Ministry made a bid in September 2015 to purchase one of a highly coveted pair of Rembrandt portraits from Éric de Rothschild for the Louvre in Paris, offering €80 million, or about $90 million. As part of a major government reshuffle in early 2016, Pellerin was replaced by Audrey Azoulay, who at the time served as Hollande’s cultural advisor.
