Yoon Meets Italian President: "Grateful Ally... Consistent Support for North Korea Issues"

President Mattarella's State Visit to Korea... "Efforts in International Exchange Require Cooperation in Various Fields"

On the 8th, President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit meeting with Sergio Mattarella, the President of Italy, who was visiting South Korea on a state visit, at the Yongsan Presidential Office and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

In the afternoon, an official welcoming ceremony was held at the Presidential Office to greet President Mattarella's state visit. The Taegeukgi and Italian flags were displayed in front of the main gate of the Presidential Office, and President Yoon and President Mattarella entered side by side through the main gate. Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon, and Mrs. Laura Mattarella, wife of President Mattarella, also accompanied them.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Korea-Italy summit held on the 8th at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul with Sergio Mattarella, the President of Italy. Photo by Yonhap News

During the subsequent summit meeting, President Yoon said, "Italy is a grateful ally who provided medical support during the Korean War, treating about 230,000 soldiers and civilian patients," and added, "With the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries approaching next year, I feel especially honored that President Mattarella is visiting us."

He particularly stated, "I look forward to continuing to strengthen future-oriented cooperation with Italy, which shares universal values such as freedom, human rights, and the rule of law." He also said, "The two countries have closely cooperated not only economically but also on international stages such as the Group of Seven (G7) and the Group of Twenty (G20), and especially, Italy has consistently supported South Korea's efforts regarding the North Korean issue."

President Mattarella responded, "Italy and Korea have many similarities," and said, "The two countries are especially working together in democracy, free market economy, trade between each other's markets, and various international exchanges." He continued, "Such important values require cooperation not only on an economic level but also culturally and in various other fields," emphasizing, "That is why Italy and Korea have become strategic partners."

Meanwhile, the meeting was attended by Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Security Office; Lee Jong-ho, Minister of Science and ICT; Moon Sung-kyu, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Jang Ho-jin, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director for National Security; and Choi Sang-mok, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs. From Italy, Giuseppe Perricone, Counselor of the Presidential Foreign Affairs Office; Giovanni Grasso, Spokesperson of the Presidential Office; Simone Guerini, Presidential Advisor; Ugo Zampetti, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat; Edmondo Cirielli, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Emilia Gatto, Ambassador of Italy to Korea, were present.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.