By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Hanam City Mayor Lee Hyun-jae held a tea meeting with Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto and Italian Cultural Center Director Michela Linda Magri at the Hanam Culture and Arts Center on April 27, the city said.
 
The city organized the meeting to discuss expanding cultural, tourism, and artistic exchanges with Amb. Emilia Gatto, who is visiting the Hanam Arts Center to watch a performance of the ballet “Don Quixote,” which commemorates the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy this year.

The relationship between Korea and Italy is 140 years old this year, starting with the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce in 1884. Italy is a cultural powerhouse that forms an axis of the world's cultural mainstream in the fields of culture, philosophy, architecture, sculpture, music, and fashion, and has been engaged in exchanges with Korea in various fields ranging from the so-called “3Fs” of fashion, food, and furniture to high-tech industries such as semiconductors.
 
In recent years, interest in Korea has increased due to the popularity of K-culture, represented by K-pop and K-dramas, and the number of Italian tourists visiting Korea in 2023 increased by 1064% compared to two years ago.
 
The Italian Ambassador said that she would recommend a city in Italy with complementary interests to Hanam based on a comprehensive review of city size and interests to establish a sisterhood between Hanam and the Italian city.
 
Mayor Lee then made a presentation using a promotional video of the K-Star World project on a tablet PC and asked for global cooperation to build a K-culture hub city.
 
After watching the presentation video of the K-Star World project, which will build a state-of-the-art K-pop venue, a world-class movie studio, and a high-tech cultural video complex on Misa Island in Hanam, Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto expressed her active interest.
 
“It was very interesting,” said the Italian Ambassador, “and if you share the video with me, I will promote it to other ambassadors.” “I will invite Mayor Lee Hyun-jae to the Italian National Day event on June 3,” she said, expressing his intention to continue friendly relations with Hanam City.
 
In response, Mayor Lee emphasized, “Hanam City will do its best to establish sisterhood ties with cities recommended by the Italian Embassy in the future so that we can make achievements in various fields such as culture, art, and tourism.”