Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

During President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Italy, Minister JK (Jung-Kwan) Kim of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) met with Adolfo Urso, Italy’s Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, in Rome on June 11, 2026. The two ministers exchanged views on shared priorities, including EU economic legislation, a more stable trade environment for businesses, and cooperation in high-tech industries.

The two sides first discussed recent developments in EU legislation on key economic issues and cooperation to provide businesses with more predictable trade conditions. Korea expressed appreciation that Italy moved swiftly to remove the “Made in EU” regional restriction from the hyper-depreciation regime introduced by emergency decree on March 28, 2026, giving the change final legal effect through parliamentary approval on May 22, 2026, and helping reduce uncertainty in bilateral trade conditions.

The two ministers agreed that high-quality Korean machinery and equipment could help Italian small and medium-sized manufacturers improve productivity and compete globally, while creating a basis for closer cooperation across future strategic industries. They also agreed to continue intergovernmental cooperation during future EU legislative processes on economic issues, helping strengthen industrial ecosystems in both countries and improve predictability for businesses.

On high-tech industries, the two sides agreed that cooperation centered on AI and semiconductors could combine their complementary strengths and strengthen both countries’ global competitiveness. Korea presented its Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) policy and highlighted potential synergies between Korea’s AI-driven manufacturing transformation and Italy’s traditional manufacturing base. Italy outlined its strengths in semiconductor materials, equipment, and advanced packaging, and expressed strong interest in working with Korea’s world-class memory and foundry technologies. The two sides also agreed to continue reviewing cooperation on stable supply chains for critical minerals essential to electric vehicles, batteries, and other industries.

The meeting served as an opportunity for the two countries to share tangible outcomes from efforts to improve the trade environment and to jointly address shared industrial priorities, including AI transformation in manufacturing and semiconductor supply chains. The two sides will closely review progress in implementing the agreed items and continue to strengthen their strategic partnership in industry and trade.

Minister Kim said, “The significance of this discussion lies in its move beyond coordination on individual trade issues to broaden the scope of bilateral industrial cooperation. At a time of major shifts in the global industrial paradigm, Korea and Italy explored a shared future vision and a joint industrial strategy.” He added, He added, “We will continue to develop a partnership built around improving the EU trade environment and expanding cooperation in high-tech industries, and translate that partnership into tangible synergies on the global stage.”