Italian envoy bids farewell to Korea
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Sergio Mercuri
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Italian Ambassador Sergio Mercuri bade farewell to Korea during a celebration held for Italy’s National Day at his residence in Seoul on June 2.
“This is my last National Day in Seoul. In a few days, I will leave,” he said during a speech to the event.
The envoy expressed appreciation to his Korean friends, officials and embassy staff for their support and collaboration while he served here.
He was posted in Seoul for a total of six years and six months.
He first came to Korea in 1987 when pro-democracy protests were in full swing. Students and unionists took to the streets and called for a direct election to pick the nation’s leader. Their voices were heard.
During that time, the Italian diplomat also witnessed the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
As ambassador, he came back to Korea in December 2010.
Mercuri’s second tenure in Korea came when a number of Korean companies became global technology giants.
During the past years, the envoy said that Koreans taught him a lot and vowed to promote Korea in his home country. He said he would continue to speak about what Korea has achieved in recent decades.
This year marked the 131st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Mercuri said bilateral relations have become stronger year after year, stressing that President Park Geun-hye’s visit to Rome and Milan last year on the occasion of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit is evidence.
Hundreds of guests, including foreign diplomats and business leaders, joined Mercuri’s last National Day celebration in Korea.
During the celebration, a lucky draw was held. Three winners received non-stop airline tickets between Seoul and Rome on the occasion of Alitalia airliners’ resumption of airline services between the two cities after a hiatus of more than 20 years.