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Korea Herald

[Herald Interview] Italian envoy hopes to boost soft power, space technology cooperation with S. Korea

Gatto showcases Italy's modern identity in tech, space to Korean youth, highlighting strength in basic science Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto said she has been focusing on people-to-people diplomacy and space tech cooperation with South Korea, in an interview with The Korea Herald. The interview took place ahead of Italian Republic Day, which is celebrated on June 2 to mark the 1946 referendum in which Italians voted to become a republic. 'Two institutional frameworks — parliamentary and territorial — are where we should focus our (Italian and Korean) projects in culture, science and business as part of this ecosystem,' she said. 'I'm focusing on two areas: first, parliamentary diplomacy, which is representative. We now have a friendship group — both in Italy and Korea — and we are strategizing. 'For me, people-to-people diplomacy is fundamental,' Gatto told The Korea Herald. According to Gatto, Italy and Korea are cultural powerhouses with strong global soft power, with Italy's influence stemming from history, art and heritage. But she acknowledges that more effort is needed to showcase lesser-known aspects of Italy's cultural strength. "Similarly, Korea is the same,' she told The Korea Herald. Praising Korea as a rising soft power with a rich cultural heritage, she admired its efforts to preserve traditions like Hangeul. "Hangeul is fantastic. I think King Sejong was a genius,' she said. 'In this sector — soft power — I feel I would love to serve not only as the Italian ambassador to Korea but also as Korea's ambassador to Italy, because I care deeply about it.' Gatto showcased Italy's modern identity in tech and space to Korean youth, noting Italy's early space achievements and role in the International Space Station. She said that Italy-Korea cooperation in aerospace and STEM is growing, citing three agreements in the science, technology, engineering and math fields signed during President Sergio Mattarella's three-day state visit to Seoul in 2023 and agreements between space agencies and universities. But Gatto also referred to Korea's shift toward basic science. 'Korea has long focused on applied science. … But now the time has come for Korea to also focus on basic science,' Gatto told The Korea Herald. 'Italy, on the other hand, has always invested deeply in theoretical science." "We're complementary,' Gatto said, encouraging young Koreans to study in Italy, highlighting rewarding opportunities in satellite engineering, top Italian universities offering programs in English with high academic value and a good quality of life. Gotti described Italy as a diverse mosaic of cities and regions, with no single city — like Rome — being more important than others such as Milan, Florence, Bologna or Turin. 'It's completely different from Korea — again, we are complementary. But now Korea is looking at us because it also wants to become more decentralized,' Gatto said. Kimchi and Chianti Meanwhile, the ambassador also suggested a culinary pairing of kimchi with Chianti, pointing to Korean food's health benefits and global potential. She said that the goal of events such as "Week of Italian Cuisine" is not to replace Korean cuisine, but to encourage pairings, such as Italian wines with Korean dishes, to raise awareness of Italy's lesser-known yet high-quality wines. 'One main reason is that our economy is composed of very small companies — this is particularly true in the wine sector. These are mostly family-run businesses. … The small scale is actually a strength — it means no mass production,' she told The Korea Herald when asked why Italian wines are less well-known than French or Chilean wines in Seoul. 'It's better to drink something authentic and free of additives,' she recommended. 'In Italy, many wines carry DOCG labels, which come with strict rules — no chemicals to mimic flavors.' DOCG — Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin — represents the top tier of Italian wine classifications. Italy declared 2024-2025 as the "Year of Cultural Exchange between Italy and Korea" during the state visit of Mattarella to Korea in 2023. sanjaykumar@