Lee receives Italy's highest honor; Samsung's Lee Jae-yong among guests at state dinner

President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to Italy, received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on Thursday (local time).

Cheong Wa Dae chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters at a press center in Rome that Italian President Sergio Mattarella would present Lee with the decoration — the highest ranking Italy bestows on foreign heads of state — at a dinner that evening. It is the first foreign decoration Lee has received since taking office.

The Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic was established on March 3, 1951, and ranks as Italy's highest honor. It is awarded to Italian nationals or foreign heads of state who have rendered exceptional service to the prestige of the Italian Republic.

Past recipients include the kings of the United Kingdom and Belgium and the presidents of the United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria. The award marks the first time Lee has received a decoration from a foreign government in the roughly one year since his inauguration.

Beyond the decoration itself, Italy extended a series of exceptional courtesies to Lee throughout the visit.

Kang said Italy had arranged special protocol elements in recognition that this was the first state visit by a South Korean president in 26 years and Lee's first state visit to Europe.

When the presidential aircraft entered Italian airspace on Wednesday, two Eurofighter jets flanked the plane on either side in an escort formation — a gesture underscoring the special regard Italy has shown for the visit.

Kang added that the speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies had repeatedly emphasized South Korea's importance in international affairs, and that the decoration reflected Italy's expectations of and appreciation for the role Seoul plays. She also noted that Lee had met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni three times on the sidelines of various international gatherings.

The state banquet that evening was set to bring together a large contingent of business figures from both countries, with the aim of building momentum for deeper economic cooperation.

Business leaders attending include Ryu Jin, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation; Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics; Koo Ja-eun, chairman of LS Group; Cho Hyun-joon, chairman of Hyosung; Kim Jeong-su, chairman of Samyang Foods; Choi Su-yeon, chief executive of Naver; and Sung Kim, president of Hyundai Motor Co.

The business figures at the dinner are also expected to attend a South Korea-Italy business roundtable scheduled for Friday. Cultural figures, including conductor and music director Chung Myung-whun, were also invited.

Kang said she hoped cooperation and friendship between the two countries would spread across all sectors, including the economy, culture and the arts.