Italian Ambassador to Korea Federico Failla stressed the importance of gastronomic tradition in the history of civilization while describing the most recent trends in Italian food technology at a forum hosted by The Korea Herald last month.

At the Global Business Forum held in Seoul on April 19, the ambassador said such gastronomical innovation could play a significant role in further fostering Italy-Korea bilateral relations.

Failla has been the top Italian envoy to Seoul since 2019. Prior to coming to Seoul, the career diplomat served as the ambassador of Italy to Indonesia and a coordinator for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting. In Seoul, Failla has been active in bridging Seoul and Rome in the areas of culture, climate change and economic cooperation, despite the COVID-19 pandemic limiting diplomatic engagements for last three years.

The GBF is a platform that gathers Korean business and financial leaders, diplomats, those from the culture industries and experts to gather ideas for cultural and business transformation and to seek collaboration toward shared interests and goals.