Anchor: President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, semiconductors and critical minerals. Meloni is visiting South Korea for Monday’s summit talks with Lee.
Kim Bum-soo reports.

Report: 

[Sound bite: S. Korea-Italy Summit] 

President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held talks in Seoul on Monday and agreed to strengthen industrial cooperation on artificial intelligence.

In a joint news conference after the meeting, the two sides stressed the importance of strengthening industrial cooperation in key sectors, such as AI, aerospace, semiconductors and critical raw materials.

Lee and Meloni also agreed to work together toward a “peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific” and to support peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula.

Following the summit, South Korea and Italy signed three memorandums of understanding, including agreements on private sector cooperation in the semiconductor industry.

During the talks, Meloni also mentioned that her daughter is a K-pop fan and voiced support for greater cooperation on cultural content.

Meloni is the first European leader to visit Seoul since Lee took office last year. 

The Italian premier is on a three-day official visit to Seoul as part of her Asia trip.

Italy draws approximately 1 million South Korean visitors each year and is the country’s fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.