The leaders of South Korea and Italy have issued a joint statement after a summit in Seoul, resolving to develop future-oriented bilateral ties in line with their strategic partnership.

President Lee Jae Myung held a summit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday during her three-day trip to the country.

Lee said he expects two-way cooperation in science to expand further, pledging to discover capable researchers through support for joint research in basic and applied fields and to broaden cooperation in cutting-edge industries such as artificial intelligence and aerospace.

The president said Seoul and Rome will pursue complementary cooperation in the defense industry and have agreed to vitalize the bilateral business forum as a venue for the creation of new opportunities and a channel to offer consultation services to businesses.

Lee also vowed to cooperate closely with Italy on international peace and stability, beyond efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, emphasizing that the two countries are friendly nations with many shared values that respond jointly to global challenges.

The leaders also agreed to promote friendship between people on both sides through various cultural exchanges, and Lee, for his part, asked that attention be paid to the safety of South Korean athletes during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next month.

It is the second summit between Lee and Meloni since they met in September in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Meloni is the first European leader to visit South Korea since Lee took office in June.