The leaders of South Korea and Italy have agreed to firm up their bilateral ties by signing an MOU.<br />The leaders of the two countries also pressed issues on North Korea's denuclearization. <br />Kim Hyo-sun reports. <br /> An upgrade to the relationship between South Korea and Italy.<br />During his stay in Rome, the South Korean leader inked three new agreements with Italy on cooperation in defense, air services and trade.<br /> President Moon Jae-in, holding back-to-back meetings with the president and the prime minister of Italy,… worked on establishing stronger ties between the two countries.<br /> South Korea's presidential office says the leaders agreed to expand the level of their ties to a strategic partnership,… while discussing ways to increase their cooperation in political and defense sectors, trade and investments and science technology. <br />Under the memorandum of understanding, the two countries agreed to hold a biennial "strategic meeting" where they will discuss ways to boost cooperation in the areas of industry, energy and trade promotion. <br /> And the air service agreement calls for joint efforts to up the number of flyers and cargo flights between Seoul and Rome, as a way to promote trade and people-to-people exchanges.<br />The agreement for defense ties was not released immediately,… with the Blue House explaining it will be made public after the two sides complete their internal reviews. <br /> President Moon also urged the Italian leaders to support his country's efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,… and briefed them on his three summits with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. <br /> The Italian Prime Minister expressed his full support for President Moon's diplomatic initiatives on North Korea, adding that denuclearization must be done in a verifiable and irreversible manner. <br />Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News. <br />
