Korea, Italy agree to deepen industrial, strategic cooperation at Seoul summit

President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stand next to each other as they deliver a joint press statement after their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Korea and Italy pledged closer ties in advanced industries, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors and critical minerals, during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Seoul for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung on Monday.

The visit was the first by an Italian prime minister in 19 years, the first by a European leader since Lee took office last June and the first by a foreign leader since the presidential office returned to Cheong Wa Dae late last year. The two leaders had previously met at the G7 meeting in Canada in June and in New York during the U.N. General Assembly in September.

In his opening remarks, Lee said cooperation was expanding in advanced sectors, including science and technology, aerospace and defense. Meloni noted that Korea has become one of the world’s largest per capita consumers of Italian goods.

“If Italy’s traditional strengths as a scientific powerhouse are combined with the core DNA of the Republic of Korea as a technology leader, the two countries will be able to generate great synergy,” Lee said. “I hope the two countries will jointly respond to global challenges, including the climate crisis, and broaden the foundation of cooperation as partners that share common values.”

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a joint press conference held after their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

In response, Meloni — whose official title is president of the Council of Ministers — said that although Korea and Italy are geographically distant, the two countries share many similarities.

"Both countries pursue creativity and innovation based on traditional values, and in that sense, we can say we share the same values," Meloni said. "The two countries should further explore which areas hold the greatest potential for development."

She cited critical mineral supply chains, semiconductors, transportation, infrastructure and investments as key fields for expanding cooperation.

On critical minerals, she called for “urgent joint research and other strategic cooperation,” and said Italy was working to create an environment in which major Korean companies could invest in fields such as robotics and microelectronics.

President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni raise their glasses during an official luncheon held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

At a joint press conference after the summit, the two leaders pledged to deepen their strategic dialogue as a main forum for coordinating on regional and global issues and agreed to prepare a new bilateral action plan for 2026-2030 to guide cooperation between Korea and Italy.

They reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, agreed to work closely to promote regional stability and underscored their shared pledge to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to lasting peace there.

The two leaders also agreed to promote cooperation in sports by leveraging major international events, including the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Meloni further conveyed an invitation from Italian President Sergio Mattarella for Lee to pay a state visit to Italy later this year.