South Korea & Italy Forge AI & Defense Ties in Historic Meloni-Lee Summit

Meloni arrived in South Korea on Saturday for a three-day official visit as part of her Asia trip, which also includes stops in Japan and Oman.

During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to bolster cooperation in trade, investment, artificial intelligence, defence and semiconductors, among other areas, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The talks will mark their second summit meeting after they first met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September last year.

It marks the first time in 19 years that an Italian leader has visited Seoul for bilateral summit talks. Meloni is the first European leader to visit South Korea since Lee took office in June last year.

Italy is South Korea's fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union and is visited by roughly 1 million South Koreans annually, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Yonhap news agency reported.

Last year in September, Lee Jae Myung met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss ways to bolster bilateral cooperation.

During the talks, Lee had underscored the need for the two countries to deepen 'mutually beneficial' cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and defence, building on their strategic partnership, the office had said in a release.

Meloni took note of progress in bilateral trade and investment, highlighting the strong potential for further economic cooperation, the office had added.

She also had expressed her hope to visit South Korea at the earliest opportunity to advance practical cooperation, and invited Lee to visit Italy at his convenience.

The two leaders had agreed that South Korea and Italy have played a constructive role on the international stage amid complex global challenges, and pledged to further deepen their cooperation, the had office noted.

- IANS