Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Italian astronaut says space is platform for cooperation, not competition
Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto, left, stands next to Italian astronaut Col. Walter Villadei during the Italian Space Day event at the ambassador's residence in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Italian Embassy in Seoul
By Anna J. Park
Italian Space Day welcomes industry leaders, researchers, highlights joint achievements in space technology, exploration
The Embassy of Italy in Korea marked the sixth edition of Italian Space Day, Wednesday, bringing together government officials, industry leaders and academic experts from both countries’ space sectors.
Established in 2021, the annual event commemorates the 1964 launch of the San Marco satellite — Italy’s first satellite, which made it the world’s third nation to independently send a satellite into orbit — and aims to promote greater awareness of space activities and Italy’s contributions to the field.
Underscoring the growing strategic importance of space as a domain for innovation, partnership and shared global progress, the event opened with remarks by Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto, who highlighted recent diplomatic momentum between the two countries.
Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto delivers her congratulatory message during the Italian Space Day event at the ambassador's residence in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Italian Embassy in Seoul
In her remarks, she referred to the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space between the Italian Space Agency and Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT, noting that Italy is committed to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the space field.
“Italy, as a global leader in the space sector, looks forward to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in this field," the ambassador said.
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Hwang Jung-a, who used to be a space researcher and professor, delivered a congratulatory message as well, highlighting the complementary strengths of Italy and Korea.
“I firmly believe that Italy’s advanced space industry ecosystem and its decades of experience in launch vehicles and deep space exploration, combined with Korea’s cutting-edge IT capabilities and strong manufacturing base, will create a powerful partnership and generate new momentum for innovation,” Hwang said.
Participants listen to congratulatory remarks during the Italian Space Day event held at the Italian ambassador's official residence in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Anna J. Park
Introductory messages followed from Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) Director General Park Jae-sung and Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Teodoro Valente.
"Italy has long been a global trailblazer in space. From the historic launch of the San Marco satellite in 1964 to the cutting-edge missions led by the ASI today, Italy’s achievements have set a global benchmark for innovation. Italy’s leadership continues to inspire our own journey as Korea strives to become a top-five aerospace power," the KASA chief said. He also explained that bilateral joint efforts have already produced tangible results based on mutual trust, including the launch of the Arirang 7, or KOMPSAT-7 satellite, on the Vega-C rocket developed by Italy,
Valente noted that the ASI, in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency, is preparing a mission to Korea scheduled for late this year to early 2027, aimed at further enhancing institutional and industrial cooperation.
Italian astronaut Col. Walter Villadei delivers his keynote speech for the Italian Space Day event held at the Italian ambassador's official residence in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Italian Embassy in Seoul
The keynote speech was delivered by Italian astronaut Col. Walter Villadei, an officer of the Italian Air Force with extensive experience in national and international space programs, who most recently served as pilot for Axiom Mission 3, Axiom Space’s third commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station. He is also Italy’s eighth astronaut to have traveled to space.
“Space is not only a domain of geopolitical competition, but also a platform for cooperation that brings nations and people together,” Villadei said, adding that he hopes to work with Korean partners to build a future in which humanity can live permanently on the moon.
Villadei, born in Rome in 1974, has built a diverse career spanning military aviation, space operations and international cooperation. He has served in multiple roles within Italy’s space sector, including as a member of the ASI’s scientific committee and as a national representative to the European Commission’s Space Surveillance and Tracking program. He currently leads the Italian Air Force’s representative office in the United States, overseeing commercial spaceflight initiatives.
Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto, seventh from right, and Italian astronaut Col. Walter Villadei, sixth from right, pose with other key participants during the Italian Space Day event at the ambassador's residence in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Italian Embassy in Seoul
The session brought together a broad range of leading industry and academic stakeholders from both countries, including Thales Alenia Space Italia, Leonardo, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Hanwha Systems, Contec, Boryung, the Association of Italian Space Enterprises, Seoul National University, KAIST, Yonsei University and the University of Padova.
Participants shared insights and engaged in discussions aimed at fostering new scientific and technological collaborations between Italy and Korea in the space sector.