First Visit by a European Leader to Korea
Joint Press Announcement Scheduled
On January 19, President Lee Jaemyung will hold a summit meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Blue House to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in advanced industries, including artificial intelligence (AI), space, defense, and semiconductors, as well as expanding investment. The results of the meeting will be released through a joint press announcement.
According to the Blue House, the day's schedule will begin with a welcoming ceremony, guestbook signing, and commemorative photo session in the morning, followed by a small-group summit, an expanded summit, and a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on bilateral cooperation. After the joint press announcement, the two leaders plan to attend an official luncheon together.
Prime Minister Meloni is visiting Korea for an official three-day visit from January 17 to 19 at the invitation of President Lee. This marks the first visit by a European leader since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration and the first foreign guest to visit the Blue House since its reopening. It is also the first time in 19 years that an Italian prime minister has come to Korea for a bilateral summit.
Economic and technological cooperation is expected to be the main agenda at the summit. Discussions will include expanding trade and investment, cooperation in advanced industries and science and technology such as AI, space, defense, and semiconductors, as well as collaboration in education and culture, expanding people-to-people exchanges, and addressing international issues. Italy is Korea's fourth-largest trading partner within the EU, and about 1 million Koreans visit Italy annually.
This summit is seen as an effort to translate the points of contact established between the two leaders at multilateral forums last year into concrete bilateral achievements. In September last year, the two leaders held their first bilateral summit on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, agreeing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between governments and businesses in areas such as AI and defense based on a "strategic partnership." They also agreed to strengthen cooperation on international issues based on similar positions amid the ongoing global polycrisis. Furthermore, the two leaders exchanged greetings at the venue prior to the start of the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November last year.
The MOU signing ceremony and joint press announcement at the summit are expected to formalize the "substantive cooperation centered on AI and defense" confirmed at the New York meeting and serve as follow-up measures to broaden the scope of economic and technological cooperation. Meanwhile, President Lee also plans to request Prime Minister Meloni's cooperation to ensure the safety of the Korean delegation and visiting nationals, as well as the smooth participation of the team, ahead of the Milan Winter Olympics to be held in Italy next month.
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