The leaders of South Korea and Italy have agreed to firm up their bilateral ties by signing an MOU.
The leaders of the two countries also pressed issues on North Korea's denuclearization.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
An upgrade to the relationship between South Korea and Italy.
During his stay in Rome, the South Korean leader inked three new agreements with Italy on cooperation in defense, air services and trade.
President Moon Jae-in, holding back-to-back meetings with the president and the prime minister of Italy,… worked on establishing stronger ties between the two countries.
South Korea's presidential office says the leaders agreed to expand the level of their ties to a strategic partnership,… while discussing ways to increase their cooperation in political and defense sectors, trade and investments and science technology.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the two countries agreed to hold a biennial "strategic meeting" where they will discuss ways to boost cooperation in the areas of industry, energy and trade promotion.
And the air service agreement calls for joint efforts to up the number of flyers and cargo flights between Seoul and Rome, as a way to promote trade and people-to-people exchanges.
The agreement for defense ties was not released immediately,… with the Blue House explaining it will be made public after the two sides complete their internal reviews.
President Moon also urged the Italian leaders to support his country's efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,… and briefed them on his three summits with North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
The Italian Prime Minister expressed his full support for President Moon's diplomatic initiatives on North Korea, adding that denuclearization must be done in a verifiable and irreversible manner.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.