South Korea and Italy Agree to Elevate Ties to 'Special Strategic Partnership'

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a tour of Europe, held a summit with the President of Italy and agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership." President Lee, who is visiting as a state guest, was awarded Italy's highest order of merit.

Kang Cheong-wan reports from Rome.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung, the first South Korean president to visit Italy as a state guest in 26 years, was welcomed by the Italian military's mounted honor guard.

During the summit with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, President Lee stated that based on the "trust and bonds accumulated over 142 years of bilateral exchanges, we will open a new chapter of cooperation for shared prosperity."

[President Lee Jae-myung: Today, the President and I have agreed to elevate our bilateral relationship to a 'Special Strategic Partnership.']

The two countries agreed to sign memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on small and medium-sized enterprise cooperation to boost trade, as well as on advanced science, technology, and ICT cooperation, including in artificial intelligence and the defense industry. They also agreed to sign an MOU between the National Museum of Korea and the Uffizi Gallery in Italy, along with an agreement on joint film production.

[Sergio Mattarella / President of Italy: South Korean cinema, literature, and music are truly popular. Young Italians are captivated by Korean culture.]

At the state banquet, President Lee held tea meetings with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Ferrari Chairman John Elkann. He was also awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Knight Grand Cross), the highest honor in Italy, in recognition of his contributions to improving bilateral relations.

President Lee began a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a short while ago.

Following the meeting, President Lee will oversee the exchange of MOUs signed between the two governments in areas such as economy and culture, and will attend a Korea-Italy business event alongside leaders including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

(Video coverage: Jung Sang-bo | Video editing: Yoo Mi-ra | Graphics: Jang Seong-beom)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.