Message of the Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Massimo Andrea Leggeri, for the ITCCK Membership Directory Over two years have passed since the establishment of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, two years which have seen the Chamber successfully grow at a continuous pace and gradually enlarge its activities and membership. The ITCCK (not yet registered in Italy) is indeed a pivotal tool for several Italian and Korean business representatives, by providing them with meaningful support, connections and frameworks to create new opportunities for the increase of bilateral trade between Italy and Korea. Initiatives such as the proposal for an Italian Business Credit Card, food&wine business missions to Italy and Korea, IT delegations visiting Seoul are only some of those taking place in 2010 that I would like to recall. I am therefore pleased to salute the latest of those initiatives: the new Directory of the members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, which comes at a very timely moment of the relations between both countries. The EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement will in fact entry into force in July 2011, paving the way for an increase of bilateral trade by at least 20%. Both sides will highly benefits from this long-waited step forward in the trade relations between Europe and South Korea and I am certain that the Chamber, through its Directory and its several other tools, will play a key role in assisting Italian and Korean entrepreneurs to fully benefit from the advantages that the FTA will bring. Other important events, the G20 Seoul Summit and the related B20, are also approaching in November 2010. Another opportunity for the world largest and emerging economies to state that the crisis will be soon behind our shoulders and that the economies are ready for a new, sustainable and balanced growth. There is a wide expectation for the role of Business for the implementation of sustainable exit strategies. Also in this perspective, we should look forward to the action that the ITCCK could play in contributing to the increase of trade and business relations between Italy and Korea and I strongly encourage new companies and associations to become members of the Chamber or to participate in its activities with their ideas and sector expertise. The ITCCK Directory marks an important step in the history of the Chamber. Allow me, therefore, to renew my personal gratitude to all past, present and future Presidents, Board Members and companies which have been supporting and will continue to support the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea: to all of them go my best wishes for the success of their work. THE AMBASSADOR OF ITALY Massimo Andrea LEGGERI Message of the Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Massimo Andrea Leggeri, for the ITCCK Membership Directory Over two years have passed since the establishment of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, two years which have seen the Chamber successfully grow at a continuous pace and gradually enlarge its activities and membership. The ITCCK (not yet registered in Italy) is indeed a pivotal tool for several Italian and Korean business representatives, by providing them with meaningful support, connections and frameworks to create new opportunities for the increase of bilateral trade between Italy and Korea. Initiatives such as the proposal for an Italian Business Credit Card, food&wine business missions to Italy and Korea, IT delegations visiting Seoul are only some of those taking place in 2010 that I would like to recall. I am therefore pleased to salute the latest of those initiatives: the new Directory of the members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, which comes at a very timely moment of the relations between both countries. The EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement will in fact entry into force in July 2011, paving the way for an increase of bilateral trade by at least 20%. Both sides will highly benefits from this long-waited step forward in the trade relations between Europe and South Korea and I am certain that the Chamber, through its Directory and its several other tools, will play a key role in assisting Italian and Korean entrepreneurs to fully benefit from the advantages that the FTA will bring. Other important events, the G20 Seoul Summit and the related B20, are also approaching in November 2010. Another opportunity for the world largest and emerging economies to state that the crisis will be soon behind our shoulders and that the economies are ready for a new, sustainable and balanced growth. There is a wide expectation for the role of Business for the implementation of sustainable exit strategies. Also in this perspective, we should look forward to the action that the ITCCK could play in contributing to the increase of trade and business relations between Italy and Korea and I strongly encourage new companies and associations to become members of the Chamber or to participate in its activities with their ideas and sector expertise. The ITCCK Directory marks an important step in the history of the Chamber. Allow me, therefore, to renew my personal gratitude to all past, present and future Presidents, Board Members and companies which have been supporting and will continue to support the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea: to all of them go my best wishes for the success of their work. THE AMBASSADOR OF ITALY Massimo Andrea LEGGERI Message of Vice President, Message of the Secretary General, Alessandro Canova, Roberto Martorana, for the ITCCK Membership Directory for the ITCCK Membership Directory Dear Members and Friends, Dear Members and Friends, I am very pleased to write this foreword, a welcome message to mark the The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ITCCK) that was established on publication of the first ITCCK Directory, an occasion that I believe represents May 2008, will publish its first Membership Directory this year. an opportunity for all Chamber Members to interact and cooperate with each The Membership Directory provided by the ITCCK is available to all its other based on shared values and interests. members with the aim of facilitating and strengthening their relationships. ITCCK activities over the past two years have been extremely successful, The majority of the members of the ITCCK deal with the business world, exceeding our expectations and many of our targets have already been which is an easy changeable reality bristles with obstacles. surpassed. Thus, dialogue between members and exchanging of ideas become extremely The number of member companies is ever increasing; we have organized and important, especially in a community as the one that gathers around the are organizing several events both in Korea and Italy in collaboration with ITCCK, whose main goal is to deepen the relations between Italy and South organizations from both countries; furthermore, we have expanded the Korea. organization to better cope with our responsibilities, taking on more staff, and Through the establishment of the new Membership Directory the ITCCK would much, much more. like to invite all its members to consider the importance of interaction, I would like to offer my sincere and profound thanks to our Member cooperation and dialogue, whose values should be strongly appreciated in Companies for their continued, diligent support as well as to the Board of this competitive society that seems to be characterized more by isolation Directors who assist actively in running Chamber affairs. rather than productive interaction. In particular, I especially thank the Italian Ambassador in Seoul, H.E. Massimo Finally, I would like to thank H.E. Massimo Andrea Leggeri, Italian Ambassador Andrea Leggeri and his colleagues at the Italian Embassy for the excellent in Korea and Honorary President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, support and advice they have provided, a service that has been fundamental and all the Italian Embassy staff for their continuous support, useful advices to the hard-won success of the ITCCK. and encouragements given to promote our growth and the strengthening of Writing this foreword in 2010, the impact of the worldwide economic crisis is Italy’s presence in South Korea. still impacting many businesses, with many market segments and industries contracting worldwide. SECRETARY GENERAL We hope to be able to manage the challenges facing us in the best way Roberto MARTORANA possible and overcome the crisis, converting our current problems into opportunities for the future. At the time of writing, it seems that we are already seeing the first signs of a recovery. With the adoption of the recently approved Free Trade Agreement, there will be great opportunities to increase economic exchange between our two countries and open up new areas of business and cooperation, despite the economic crisis. VICE PRESIDENT Alessandro CANOVA Message of Vice President, Message of the Secretary General, Alessandro Canova, Roberto Martorana, for the ITCCK Membership Directory for the ITCCK Membership Directory Dear Members and Friends, Dear Members and Friends, I am very pleased to write this foreword, a welcome message to mark the The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ITCCK) that was established on publication of the first ITCCK Directory, an occasion that I believe represents May 2008, will publish its first Membership Directory this year. an opportunity for all Chamber Members to interact and cooperate with each The Membership Directory provided by the ITCCK is available to all its other based on shared values and interests. members with the aim of facilitating and strengthening their relationships. ITCCK activities over the past two years have been extremely successful, The majority of the members of the ITCCK deal with the business world, exceeding our expectations and many of our targets have already been which is an easy changeable reality bristles with obstacles.