President Moon Jae-in, on an official visit to the Holy See, attended the Mass for Peace on the Korean Peninsula at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 17. “A declaration to end the war on the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace treaty will be akin to dissolving the last remaining Cold War regime on earth,” said the President in his remarks delivered after the mass. “We will achieve peace and overcome division without fail.”  President Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook attended the mass presided over by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. 

President Moon Jae-in, in Italy on the second leg of his European tour, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held a summit in Rome on Oct. 17. In the summit, the two leaders agreed to upgrade their countries' relationship to a strategic partnership. In addition, they released a joint press statement that outlines measures that will strengthen economic, cultural and interpersonal ties, and that will increase cooperation on regional and international issues.  In the realm of diplomacy, the two leaders agreed to upgrade the policy meetings between their foreign ministries, renaming them as "strategic talks." These vice-ministerial strategic talks will commence in 2019. 

President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron shared a special time of friendship during the five hour-long state dinner on Oct. 15 at Élysée Palace in Paris. The French leader displayed exceptional hospitality at the presidential residence of Élysée Palace until almost midnight, which President Moon mentioned was unprecedented as he had never received such hospitality in any other country he visited overseas.  At the dinner, the two leaders toasted “for the future peace and prosperity that Korea and France will carve out together, while reflecting on the spirit of liberty, equality and fraternity.”