My Husband, the President tells the extraordinary true story of Franziska Donner, an Austrian woman whose love would forever change the destiny of Korea.
When Franziska meets the Korean exile politician Syngman Rhee in Geneva in the 1930s — a man 25 years her senior, living in poverty and political uncertainty — no one could have imagined that she would later become Korea’s first First Lady.
Born in 1900 in Inzersdorf, near Vienna, she encounters Rhee in Geneva — a man fighting for the independence of his homeland, which was then under Japanese occupation. Against all odds, across cultures, languages, and continents, the two fall deeply in love.
Franziska leaves behind her secure European life and follows him first to the United States, then to Hawaii, and finally to Seoul, where history is made: in 1948, with the support of the United States, Rhee becomes the first President of the Republic of Korea — and Franziska Donner becomes its first First Lady.
In a society shaped by strict hierarchies and rigid traditions, the Austrian woman remains an outsider — yet through grace, dignity, and compassion, she wins the respect of an entire nation. Her story is one of love, courage, and resilience in the face of political storms and cultural barriers.
Directed by Wolfgang Ritzberger, My Husband, the President brings to life one of the most powerful and overlooked love stories of the 20th century — the journey of a woman who crossed borders not for ambition, but for love.
Based on the biographical novel Franziska – The First Lady of Korea by Soon-ae Lee-Fink, who met Franziska Donner in person and spent over 30 years researching her life.
"She followed her heart — and found a country that needed one."