President Lee Visits Florence... Discusses Cultural and Local Cooperation with Tuscany Governor

[Financial News, Florence, Italy = Choi Jong-geun]President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to Italy, held summit talks in Rome with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On the 13th local time, he visited Florence, the capital of Tuscany in northern Italy. The visit is seen as a symbolic step to expand bilateral cooperation, now elevated to a Special Strategic Partnership, into local government and cultural exchange.
President Lee met with Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani and asked him to support the development of exchanges between Tuscany and South Korea, while paying special attention to the convenience and safety of South Koreans living abroad who visit Tuscany.
In a written briefing, Chief Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung of Cheong Wa Dae said, "Visits to local cities follow the protocol of hospitality extended by the Italian government to state guests. During President Mattarella's state visit to Korea in 2023, he also visited Panmunjom and Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon, to show respect for Korean culture."
Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance and a cultural city home to the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery. It is also one of the local cities most frequently visited by South Koreans traveling to Italy. President Lee's visit to Florence is intended to broaden the foundation of bilateral ties through cultural diplomacy spanning heritage, tourism, film, and museum cooperation.
President Lee said he hopes more works will be produced based on the strong production capabilities of both countries, using the recently concluded film co-production agreement between South Korea and Italy as a foundation.
President Lee noted that many of the roughly 1 million South Koreans who visit Italy each year travel to Tuscany, and he asked the Tuscany provincial government and the city government of Florence to pay special attention to improving convenience and ensuring public safety for Korean visitors. Mayor Sara Funaro, who attended the meeting, replied, "I hope your visit will lead to even more active people-to-people exchanges between our two countries."
 
Governor Giani said he had been deeply moved after reading the president's autobiography and expressed hope that Lee would play a major role not only in South Korea's democracy but also in the development of democracy in the international community, Chief Spokesperson Kang said. In response, President Lee said that it was all the power of democracy.
Chief Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "President Lee's visit to Florence is regarded as both a gesture of the highest respect for Italy's proud Renaissance cultural heritage and a foundation for deepening bilateral ties at the local government level through consultations aimed at expanding exchanges and cooperation with us."
After meeting with the Tuscany governor, President Lee visited the Uffizi Gallery. In the presence of President Lee, the National Museum of Korea and the Uffizi Gallery signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence to strengthen cooperation in cultural heritage exchange and museum collaboration. The agreement is expected to create more opportunities for people in both countries to better understand each other's cultures.
Chief Spokesperson Kang stressed, "Through President Lee's state visit to Italy, we expect the bilateral relationship, elevated to a Special Strategic Partnership, to deepen further in the cultural field as well."

cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun Reporter