By Lee Kap-soo

First Lady Kim Keon-hee met with the Honorable Laura Mattarella, who is on a state visit to South Korea with her father, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, at the Yongsan Presidential Office on Nov. 8.
 

Mrs. Kim discussed a variety of topics with Laura, including culture and art, fashion, design, and cuisine, and expressed her hope that "creative and meaningful cultural events will be organized on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy next year."

"Korea and Italy have a lot in common culturally and emotionally," Kim said, adding that she hopes the people of the two countries will interact more and continue their deep friendship. Referring to a fashion show held by an Italian brand in May at Gyeongbokgung Palace, a representative Korean ancient palace, with a traditional culture motif, she emphasized that it was a good example of the synergy between Korea and Italy, between traditional and modern cultures.

When Ms. Kim said that "Italian designer brands have an excellent reputation not only in Korea but also around the world," Ms. Laura responded that "Italians are very interested in Korean beauty, music, movies, fashion, etc." "When I saw Korean fashion in person, I had the impression that it was very sophisticated and elegant," she added. In response, Mrs. Kim said, "We are encouraging young Korean designers with talent, K-Fashion, to enter the world stage more actively," and urged Mrs. Laura to pay attention.

During her visit, Laura toured the National Museum of Korea to see some of the great exhibits of historical artifacts, and the next day she was excited to visit Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. "Korea has its own unique art style that combines Buddhist and Confucian cultures," she said.

Meanwhile, they also had a lively conversation about Italian pizza. Mrs. Kim said, "Pizza, which originated in mainland Italy, is loved all over the world," and asked what makes Italian pizza different from other countries. 

"Italian pizza is a healthy pizza, a real pizza, with a good dough base and lightly topped with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes," Laura explained with a smile of gratitude and confidence. Mrs. Kim responded, "That's the kind of pizza you get at Italian restaurants that are considered authentic in Korea."