"Fan of King Sejong" Female Ambassador Gives Speech in Korean Wearing Hanbok... "Truly Sincere"

[Financial News]  The Italian Ambassador to Korea wearing a hanbok and giving a speech in Korean at the Italian National Foundation Day event has become a belated topic of interest.

On the 20th, a video capturing the scene of the Italian National Foundation Day event held on the 2nd of last month at the Italian Embassy Residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was uploaded to several online communities.

This video was uploaded on the YouTube channel of Italian broadcaster Alberto Mondi, where on that day, Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto appeared in a white hanbok jacket embroidered with the Italian tricolor (Tricolore) and a red skirt, drawing attention.

Additionally, Ambassador Gatto, who showcased a hanbok fashion reminiscent of the tricolor with a green belt, took the podium and said in clumsy Korean, "Everyone at the Italian Embassy works as one team," and "I want to introduce Korean technology and history to Italy."

Ambassador Gatto explained that wearing a hanbok instead of traditional Italian attire on the National Foundation Day event symbolizes the friendship between Italy and Korea. 

Regarding the reason for giving the speech in Korean, she said, "I like the Korean language," and "Through the language, you can discover various aspects of Korean society, culture, and people." She added, "There is no case anywhere in the world where one person created a script, I became a fan of King Sejong."

Ambassador Gatto said, "Powerful soft power like K-pop is permeating throughout Europe," and "I think it is important to introduce various aspects of Korean culture that are not yet widely known to the world."

She emphasized, "Conversely, Italy is well known for its history and cultural heritage, but not as a technological powerhouse," and "Changing this perception is a very important task."

Netizens who saw the video reacted with comments like "The ambassador is really amazing," "Incorporating the Italian flag into the hanbok is truly art," "You can feel the sincerity of the Italian ambassador," and "It's great that the Italian ambassador knows and enjoys Korean culture." 

newssu@fnnews.com Kim Suyeon Reporter