Lee to attend Vatican Mass, deliver speech on Korea’s commitment to global peace
Lee Jae-myung, South Korea’s president, is embraced by European Council President Antonio Costa following a joint press statement with Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Council headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung’s first trip to Europe showed how distant wars are moving South Korea and the European Union closer to strategic alignment.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, backed by North Korean support for Moscow, has underscored the growing link between European and Indo-Pacific security; conflict in the Middle East has exposed both sides to energy shocks, supply chain disruptions and widening security threats.
Together, those risks are pushing Seoul and its EU partners to view security through the same lens and deepen cooperation as like-minded partners with shared values and increasingly overlapping security interests.
That convergence was on display in Rome, where Lee and Italian President Sergio Mattarella agreed Thursday to elevate bilateral ties to a special strategic partnership during the first state visit by a South Korean president to Italy in 26 years.
Lee said the two countries had agreed to work together in responding to geopolitical challenges during a joint news conference following the summit.
“As responsible members of the international community, we agreed to pool our wisdom and jointly respond to geopolitical challenges,” he said.
Referring to the supply chain crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East, Lee said South Korea and Italy had “keenly felt the need for coordination among allies.”
“Korea and Italy have agreed to communicate closely and cooperate as they work together to promote energy security and supply chain stability,” Lee said.
Mattarella likewise stressed the importance of preserving stability in the Indo-Pacific and freedom of navigation, while highlighting cooperation through United Nations peacekeeping missions in that context.
“In recent years, we have supported the United Nations, and we intend to continue working together in pursuit of peace,” Mattarella said through an interpreter. “I believe this is a vision shared by both Italy and the Republic of Korea.”
Lee laid a wreath on Thursday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which contains the remains of an unidentified Italian soldier from World War I.
Lee pledged that South Korea and Italy would “work hand in hand to uphold the values of freedom and solidarity and leave a more peaceful future for the next generation” in an X post on Friday.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung observes a moment of silence after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Rome on Thursday during his state visit to Italy. (Yonhap) The same theme carried into Lee’s meetings with European Union leaders in Brussels, where both sides moved to institutionalize cooperation on security and economic issues.
Following the summit on Wednesday, Lee announced that South Korea and the EU had agreed to launch negotiations on a security of information agreement to “bolster security and defense cooperation between the two sides.”
“Uncertainty in the international order is increasing, and the security of the Indo-Pacific region and Europe is becoming ever more closely interconnected,” Lee said. “I hope the security of information agreement will be concluded as soon as possible so that both sides can securely share sensitive information and further expand industrial and research cooperation utilizing that information.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the move, noting that South Korea was among the first Indo-Pacific partners to conclude a security and defense partnership with the bloc.
“Because in today’s uncertain world, stable and trusted partnerships like ours are more precious than ever,” she said. “So today we have taken ambitious steps to advance our relationship even further.”
Von der Leyen also said the leaders decided to deepen cooperation on economic security to strengthen their “resilience against external shocks and tackle strategic vulnerabilities,” adding that they agreed to “work together to secure access to critical raw materials and protect our sensitive technologies.”
The European leg of Lee’s diplomacy has also placed considerable emphasis on defending the rules-based international order.
European Council President Antonio Costa said he and Lee discussed “joint support for preserving a global order based on international law and effective modern multilateralism.”
The leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation within the United Nations and discussed a range of global security issues, including developments on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“I believe we agree that we cannot allow any state to use military aggression to threaten peace, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of any country,” Costa said. “Otherwise, the global order would collapse into chaos.”
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung walks with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a welcome ceremony at the European Council headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday. (Yonhap) Lee reinforced that theme during a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Tuesday, thanking Belgium for deploying combat troops during the Korean War as part of the United Nations Command.
De Wever replied that “Belgium, as a member of the United Nations Command, will continue to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” according to the presidential office in Seoul.
Lee’s European trip will continue with a visit to the Vatican, where he is scheduled to attend a special Mass for peace and solidarity on Sunday.
Through a speech at the Mass, Lee is expected to express South Korea’s commitment to promoting global peace and solidarity amid a rapidly changing international landscape, while seeking the Vatican’s support for those efforts, according to the presidential office.
Lee is also set to hold separate meetings with Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Pietro Parolin ahead of the pope’s planned visit to South Korea for the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com