MILAN ― President Park Geun-hye arrived in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday (Korean time) to attend the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting, which is set to strengthen cooperation between leaders from Asian and European nations.

For Park, it is her first ASEM meeting since taking office early last year. She is also the first South Korean president to visit Italy in five years, the presidential office said. Through her trip, she aims to expand South Korea’s role in the international community and strengthen ties with Asia and Europe, it added.

Park is set to begin her first day in Italy by attending an economic forum cohosted by Korean and Italian businessmen. The president will also meet Korean residents later in the evening to thank them for their dedication in promoting their mother country in the European country.

Italy is hosting the biennial ASEM meeting as the country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. At the ASEM summit, leaders are expected to open dialogues to enhance “connectivity” between Asia and Europe on economic cooperation and global matters.

The summit comes amid mounting concerns over Islamic State militants in the Middle East and the deadly Ebola virus in Africa. The summit is also expected to draw international attention as Russian leader Vladimir Putin will be taking part. It will be his first encounter with Western leaders since the Ukraine crisis, according to reports.

The list of leaders to attend the meeting include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

Expectations are growing about what messages Park will deliver on the unification of the two Koreas at the summit, at which global issues take center stage.

Park is set to seek support for her Eurasia Initiative, which calls for linking roads and railways across the continent to connect South Korea directly to Europe, through North Korea, Russia and China. Park believes that the vision could create a large single market to compete with the European Union.

She is also expected to call for international support to increase pressure on North Korea to improve its human rights situation. “It is necessary to continue ‘critical engagement’ to urge the North to change its course and to make ceaseless efforts to improve human rights in the North,” Park said in a recent interview published by Europolitics, carried out before she left for Italy.

On the sidelines of the summit, the president will hold a series of bilateral talks with other leaders in attendance. Foreign reports say that Park is expected to hold a separate meeting with China’s Li.

After the ASEM summit, President Park will visit Rome to hold a summit with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

The leaders of South Korea and Italy are expected to discuss ways to seek strategic partnerships in a wide range of fields including the economy, culture, and science and technology. In particular, leaders will discuss ways to combine Korea’s IT technology with Italy’s global fashion brands to target global market together, officials said.

Park also plans to meet Pope Francis in the Vatican to reciprocate his visit to South Korea in August. She is expected to thank the pope for his dedication in promoting world peace. Park also plans to ask for the pope’s prayers for peace on the Korean Peninsula, which has been divided for more than 60 years. Park returns Saturday.

By Cho Chung-un, Korea Herald correspondent
(christory@heraldcorp.com)