Italian envoy to Korea says what works in Korea works globally

Italian Ambassador to South Korea Federico Failla said that as both Italy and Korea cherish and prioritize the importance of tradition and innovation, the synergy effect between the two could be limitless. 

In an interview with The Korea Economic Daily on Dec. 17, Amb. Failla described Korea as a soft-power powerhouse, elaborating that the Korean Wave is more influential than one thinks.

“Even though Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) trails behind Japan's, Korea-Italy trade volume reaches 90% of that of Japan-Italy trade,” Failla said. Korea is Italy’s third-largest market in Asia after China and Japan.

The lifelong diplomat said Italy’s competitive advantage comes from its respect for tradition and innovative spirit. 

▷ Was it always your dream to be a diplomat?

Failla: “This is a very difficult question. Most boys in Italy dream to be soccer players; I was no exception. At one point, I dreamed of being a journalist. But eventually, the opportunity to experience different cultures became the most attractive for me. The first place I was stationed was in Hong Kong. After that, I also worked in India and Indonesia. I especially remember China well as it was in a period of change.” 

▷ What is it like to live in Korea?

Failla: “Korea is highly interesting in the fact that tradition and innovation co-exist, in a much similar fashion as Italy. I am enjoying my time here as it has a lower crime rate and lighter traffic congestion compared to a typical metropolis. During my off days, I like to visit art and other museums for exhibitions and explore restaurants. There are more interesting exhibitions and fine dining than ever before.” 

▷ Italy is known for its gastronomy and fashion. Why is this so?

Failla: “The strength of Italy’s fashion industry is creativity. And creativity in my opinion is an innovation based on tradition and history. Italy seeks creativity not only in design and style but in terms of developing new materials. Italy is the first country that used leather in clothes. For Italians, the culinary culture is important as we believe food is a medium between body and soul.

Even in modern days, many Italians cook at home. Italian food doesn’t take a long time to prepare because we believe in maintaining the unique qualities of the ingredients. Italians also don’t believe in women being the main cooks in a household. Whoever gets off work first will do the cooking.” 

▷Tell us about the culinary week the embassy holds each year. 

Failla: “We hold the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World every third week of November. This is a global event. We are trying to convey the message that Italian food is healthy, eco-friendly, and sustainable. Italian agriculture is focused on using fewer pesticides and not depleting food resources more than necessary.” 

▷ Besides food and fashion, in which other sectors do you see the potential for collaboration with Korea?

Failla: “Italy is showing enormous results in the cutting-edge sectors, especially in aerospace and defense. Italy was the third country in the world to launch a satellite after Russia and the United States. Automakers are extremely competitive, not only in terms of designs but also in performance. Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati are all Italian makes. 

Italy is also known for its cultural heritage preservation and recovery using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and satellite imagery. It has in fact been pursuing a project with the Korean government for the past five years.”

▷Tell us about the the new administration in Italy and its views of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Failla: “We are going through dark times, with a war under way just as the world was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. But that still does not mean we should excuse the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which could lead to a similar event occurring in the future. The Giorgia Meloni administration isn’t far-right but more center-right. The Italian government will continue to share its official position on a number of issues, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the European Union.”  

Write to Ri-Ahn Kim and Sul-Li Jun at knra@hankyung.com
Jee Abbey Lee edited this article.