By Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who is on a state visit to Korea, on Nov. 8 and exchanged views on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of industry, space, and high technology, as well as key international and regional issues.
 

The two leaders praised the steady development of friendly and cooperative relations in various fields between the two countries, which share the universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law, and decided to take bilateral relations to a new level next year on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The two leaders also agreed that both countries have excellent manufacturing capabilities and advanced technologies, which offer great potential for growth in bilateral trade and investment, and decided to strengthen cooperation in the fields of high technology and space, including hydrogen and artificial intelligence.

In particular, President Yoon noted that South Korea is in the process of launching the Korea Aerospace Administration and called for further cooperation in the space and aeronautics sector, building on previous examples of bilateral cooperation, such as the development of communication and reconnaissance satellites.

In addition, President Yoon noted that solidarity among free nations with shared values is important amidst the global complexity, and expressed his desire to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with the G7 countries, including Italy.

The two leaders affirmed that the security of the Indo-Pacific region and Europe are inextricably linked, and agreed to further enhance mutual cooperation on key international and regional issues. The two leaders agreed to continue to work closely together to denuclearize North Korea and improve its human rights, and to work with the international community to end the war in Ukraine and restore peace.

Finally, the two leaders welcomed the declaration of the "2024-2025 Year of Cultural Exchange between Korea and Italy" on the occasion of the summit, and expressed their hope that it will further expand cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The two leaders then attended the signing ceremony of three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between Korean and Italian relevant organizations held after the summit.