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Lee set for summit talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Published: 19 Jan. 2026, 09:03

President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before their talks at the U.N. headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, in this file photo from Sept. 24, 2025. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were set to hold summit talks Monday, during which they are expected to focus on cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Meloni arrived in 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, defense and semiconductors, among other areas, the Blue House 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 Korea since Lee took office in June last year.

Italy is Korea's fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union and is visited by roughly 1 million Koreans annually, according to the Blue House.

Yonhap