President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to Italy, attended the Korea-Italy business roundtable held in Rome on the 12th (local time) and stressed that "Korea and Italy are optimal partners."
In his keynote remarks at the roundtable, Lee said, "I am pleased that we can discuss the two countries' future cooperation here in Italy, which achieved a leap in human civilization by combining art and science, creativity and reason."
Lee said, "The higher global uncertainty rises, the more corporations' competitiveness—and, further, the industrial and technological competitiveness of an entire nation—depends on trustworthy partners and networks in technology, talent, and supply chains," adding, "As a powerhouse in basic science with creative engineering design capabilities, Italy, and as an advanced manufacturing powerhouse with technological innovation capabilities, Korea—the two countries are optimal partners."
Lee said, "If the two countries join forces, we will create a great synergy, designing together a new industrial order and innovation ecosystem," and added, "I hope the two countries will navigate the uncertainties of the global economy together on the basis of our cooperative relationship."
He went on to say, "Cooperation in strategic high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and aerospace, which are the foundation of future growth engines, is a key task," and stressed, "To support these high-tech industries, it is also important to build a strong supply chain together in energy and infrastructure."
About 40 businesspeople from Korea and Italy, government officials, and association and organization figures attended the event.
On the Korean side, attendees included Ryu Jin, chairman of The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI); Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics; Koo Ja-eun, chairman of LS Group; Cho Hyun-joon, chairman of Hyosung; and Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Naver. On the Italian side, representatives from leading corporations such as Ferrari, Fincantieri, Eni Live, and KIKO Milano attended.
At this roundtable, the two countries plan to share cooperation cases among corporations and discuss practical ways to expand cooperation, focusing on three areas: strategic and high-tech industries; energy and infrastructure; and future promising industries.