President Lee Jae-myung received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, one of Italy's most prestigious decorations, from Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday.
The order is awarded to foreign heads of state and prominent figures who have contributed to Italy's national development and to advancing international friendship. It is regarded as the highest level of honor extended to a visiting head of state. Recent recipients include UK's King Charles III (April 2025) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (February 2025).
Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, said at a briefing at the press center in Rome, Italy, "President Mattarella will award President Lee the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the highest grade of order conferred on foreign heads of state, at the state dinner." She added, "It carries the meaning of recognizing his contribution to advancing friendly relations between Korea and Italy and expressing the highest level of honor." She explained, "This is the first decoration President Lee has received from a foreign government since taking office."
The Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit is Italy's highest-grade national order, established in 1951. It is awarded to Italian citizens who have achieved outstanding distinction in fields such as science, the arts, the economy and public service, as well as to foreigners at the level of heads of state. In particular, when awarded to a foreign head of state, it is regarded as carrying diplomatic significance, symbolizing special friendship between the two countries and a commitment to cooperation.
The special honors extended to Lee, the first Korean president to make a state visit to Italy in 26 years since former President Kim Dae-jung in 2000, were also evident in the air force escort flight. Kang said, "As an element of special honor protocol, when Air Force One carrying President Lee entered Italian airspace the previous day, the Italian side had two of its air force's Eurofighters escort it on each side, left and right, demonstrating exceptional courtesy."
In response, Lee expressed his gratitude on social media, writing, "I regard this as honors not for Lee Jae-myung but for the Republic of Korea and the Korean people, and I consider it respect for a foremost democratic nation, a most efficient country, a world-class cultural nation, and for the great Korean people who built such a country."
