The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, together with the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae-Myung, will open the high-level Italy-South Korea Business Forum today at 6.30 p.m. in Rome. The meeting will also be attended by the South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources. The initiative will bring together the leaders of the two countries’ major industrial and business organisations with the aim of strengthening an economic partnership based on innovation, sustainability and the security of global value chains.
The Forum aims to intensify trade and investment in the strategic sectors of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, space, infrastructure, energy and sustainable mobility. The meeting forms part of the new Italy-Korea Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030, adopted during the visit of the President of the Republic of Korea to Rome, which identifies semiconductors, artificial intelligence and the energy transition as the main pillars of bilateral cooperation.
South Korea, which is included in the Asia-Pacific Focus section of the Action Plan for exports to high-potential non-EU markets, is the third-largest destination market for Italian exports in the Asia-Pacific region. Between 2019 and 2025, trade between Italy and the Republic of Korea increased by 26.54%, whilst exports rose by 21.34%.
The event will be attended by the President of Italian Trade Agency, Matteo Zoppas, the Vice President of Confindustria, Giorgio Marsiaj, and the President of the Federation of Korean Industries, Jin Roy Ryu, as well as the heads of major Korean industrial groups, including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, LG Chem, POSCO, Naver, Korea Aerospace Industries and LS Group. There will also be a high-level delegation from the Italian manufacturing sector led by Confindustria, featuring leading companies such as Eni-Enilive, Webuild, Fincantieri, Thales Alenia Space Italy, Sparkle and Ferrari, alongside representatives from the main national supply chains in advanced engineering, electronics, aerospace, agri-food, cosmetics and fashion.
