South Korea and Italy Forge Deeper Ties in AI, Space, and Defense at Seoul Summit

Historic Summit Bolsters Bilateral Relations

Seoul, South Korea – South Korea and Italy have agreed to significantly expand their cooperation across critical sectors, including artificial intelligence, space, and the defense industry. The landmark agreement was reached during a summit held on Monday, January 19, 2026, in Seoul, where South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This visit marked the first time an Italian leader has traveled to South Korea in nearly two decades, underscoring the growing strategic importance of the bilateral relationship.

During their discussions, both leaders emphasized a shared commitment to addressing global challenges and fostering innovation. President Lee Jae Myung stated that the two nations would 'further expand the horizons of cooperation into advanced industries such as artificial intelligence, space, and aviation.' He also highlighted the intent to 'pursue complementary cooperation in the defence industry based on each side's strengths.'

Key Areas of Expanded Cooperation

The summit yielded concrete plans for collaboration in several high-tech and strategic fields:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Both countries committed to strengthening industrial ties and information sharing in AI, recognizing its pivotal role in future technological advancement.
• Space and Aviation: Building on existing cooperation, the expanded partnership will delve deeper into space science, exploration, Earth observation, and aviation technologies. Previous agreements in November 2023 had already laid groundwork for collaboration in areas like Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology and environmental monitoring.
• Defense Industry: The leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in defense, leveraging South Korea's emergence as a major arms exporter and Italy's advanced defense capabilities. This collaboration is seen as crucial for global security, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which Prime Minister Meloni noted poses 'an extremely serious risk to Europe's security.'
• Semiconductors and Critical Minerals: To bolster supply chain stability, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed specifically for private-sector semiconductor collaboration. Discussions also covered cooperation in critical raw materials.

Beyond these core areas, the summit also saw the signing of two additional MoUs: one on civilian disaster response and another on cultural heritage preservation. The leaders also discussed promoting sports cooperation, including in the lead-up to the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Strategic Alignment and Future Outlook

Prime Minister Meloni characterized Seoul as 'one of the G7's most important partners,' signaling Italy's strategic pivot towards deepening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. A new bilateral action plan for 2026-2030 is expected to be developed to guide future cooperation.

The economic ties between the two nations have steadily grown, with bilateral trade reaching $12.6 billion in 2024, up from $8.08 billion in 2012 following the South Korea-EU free trade agreement. This summit marks a significant step in solidifying a comprehensive strategic partnership between South Korea and Italy, aiming to generate substantial synergy by combining Italy's scientific tradition with South Korea's technological manufacturing prowess.