Assembly speaker meets Italian parliamentary leaders, Vatican officials to discuss cooperation
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, left, poses for a photo with Italian Chamber of Deputies President Lorenzo Fontana prior to their talks in Rome, Oct. 7. Courtesy of Cho Jeong-sik's office
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik has met with Italian parliamentary leaders and senior Vatican officials on his four-nation trip to Europe to discuss bilateral cooperation, his office said Thursday.
During his meeting with Italian Chamber of Deputies President Lorenzo Fontana in Rome on Wednesday (local time), Cho discussed ways to expand people-to-people and parliamentary exchanges and step up economic and industrial cooperation.
"Following the elevation of the two countries' relations to a 'special strategic partnership,' cooperation has also expanded rapidly in future industries, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, space and defense," Cho said.
Cho also invited Fontana to visit Korea next year on the occasion of the country's hosting of World Youth Day 2027.
Separately, the speaker met with Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the Italian Senate, to discuss expanding exchanges between the countries' parliaments and strengthening economic cooperation.
"As the two countries are manufacturing powerhouses, we can become even stronger by combining our strengths," he said, calling for closer cooperation in semiconductors.
In Vatican City, Cho met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, and Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, expressing the National Assembly's commitment to support the 2027 youth event.
"Holding World Youth Day on the Korean Peninsula, where tensions run high due to division and military confrontation, could serve as an opportunity for peace and reconciliation," Cho said in his meeting with Parolin on Wednesday.
"The pope's message of peace and reconciliation is expected to significantly contribute to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula," he added.
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the country next year for World Youth Day, a major Catholic youth gathering held every few years.