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Italy and South Korea Sign Semiconductor Pact, Broaden Strategic Partnership

The agreements create work teams to turn the Seoul commitments into concrete projects.

Overview

  • Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House in Seoul, marking the first visit by an Italian premier to South Korea in 19 years.
  • Industry groups Ksia and Italy’s Anie-Ce signed a semiconductor memorandum to bolster supply-chain resilience, promote joint research and enable exchanges of researchers and skills.
  • Two additional MoUs were concluded on natural disaster prevention and management, involving Italy’s Protezione Civile, and on the protection of cultural heritage.
  • The leaders set priorities to expand cooperation across artificial intelligence, aerospace, critical minerals, microelectronics and mobility, with attention to SMEs and easing non-tariff barriers such as for meat and fruit.
  • Meloni pressed to attract Korean investment into Italian high-tech sectors and aligned on tighter coordination on Indo-Pacific security, while teams examine joint initiatives in Africa leveraging Italy’s Mattei plan instruments.