"South Korea and Italy, Complementary Partners"... 2030 Strategic Action Plan Adopted

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a tour of Europe, held a summit with the Italian President 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.

Reporter Kang Cheongwan has the story.

[Reporter]

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warmly welcomes President Lee Jae-myung upon his arrival at the Prime Minister's official residence.

In their summit, held about five months after their meeting at the Blue House in January, President Lee emphasized the friendship between the two nations, stating, "South Korea and Italy are complementary partners that can create synergy through cooperation."

The two leaders signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) covering cooperation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-businesses, advanced science and technology, ICT, and joint development in Africa. They also adopted a 2026-2030 Strategic Action Plan to implement these agreements by 2030.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Meloni congratulated the South Korean national football team on their victory in the first match of the World Cup, to which President Lee responded by expressing his regret that they did not meet Italy in the World Cup finals.

Following the summit, President Lee attended a business roundtable with South Korean and Italian business leaders.

Attended by Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Federation of Korean Industries Chairman Ryu Jin, and Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon, the discussion covered cooperation in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and promising future industries.

[President Lee Jae-myung: I believe that Italy, with its creative engineering and design capabilities, and South Korea, a powerhouse in advanced manufacturing with strong technological innovation, are truly the perfect partners.]

Having concluded his two-day summit schedule in Italy, President Lee Jae-myung will carry out his visit to Florence today (June 13), which was arranged as part of special state guest courtesies.

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