Chungcheongnam-do has opened the door to exchanges with Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region—the "home of cooperatives" and an economic powerhouse known for producing world-famous automobiles such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.

On a European tour aimed at attracting foreign investment and other initiatives, Governor Park Su-hyun visited the Emilia-Romagna regional government building in Bologna, Italy, on the 28th (local time). There, he met with Governor Michele de Pascale to share the industrial and economic status of both regions and agreed to promote exchanges and cooperation centered on the social and solidarity economy.

During the visit, Governor Park introduced the newly established Social and Solidarity Economy Bureau—created as part of the first organizational reshuffle following his inauguration—and stated, "Although South Korea has achieved great economic success, we believe that future development is impossible without incorporating social values. In that regard, Chungcheongnam-do wants to create a leading model for the social and solidarity economy that drives social transformation in South Korea."

He went on to emphasize cooperation, saying, "There is much to learn from Emilia-Romagna's philosophy, which regards social values and 'investing in the next generation' as paramount," and proposed, "Let us establish a channel where Chungnam's social and solidarity economy organizations and Bologna's cooperatives can share policies and operational know-how."

He added, "This visit to Emilia-Romagna is my first overseas trip as the Governor of Chungcheongnam-do, which perhaps signifies that our two regions share a special bond. I hope today marks the 'first day' of a new cooperative relationship between Chungcheongnam-do and Emilia-Romagna."

Furthermore, Governor Park noted that the two regions share the same vision for the social and solidarity economy, that Emilia-Romagna maintains friendly relations with Chungnam’s sister province of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) in Poland, that both regions are home to numerous universities, and that they both participate in the "Under2 Coalition." He expressed a desire to establish a sister-state relationship to achieve mutual "win-win" growth.

Governor Michele de Pascale introduced Emilia-Romagna's strengths—including advanced manufacturing such as automobiles, agri-food, artificial intelligence (AI), supercomputing, academia and research, healthcare, and logistics—and stated, "Emilia-Romagna has a long history and many projects in the social economy sector. We are currently at a stage where we want to strengthen this and develop it to an even higher level."

He responded warmly to Governor Park's proactive proposals for exchange and cooperation, saying, "It is exciting to build international partnerships in the social economy, exchange best practices, share our experiences, and build a bridge connecting our two regions."

Governor Michele de Pascale also explained the characteristics and identity of Emilia-Romagna's social economy—such as the formation of small inter-corporate cooperatives centered on democracy, reinvestment of profits, and intergenerational sustainability, alongside solidarity and cooperative management paradigms, as well as economic growth, enhancement of labor values, and expanded rights, decent jobs for all, and human dignity. He expressed his intention to provide relevant materials to Chungcheongnam-do immediately.

Following the conversation and a gift exchange, Governor Park introduced major upcoming events to be held in the province next year, including the Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo (April), the Catholic World Youth Day (July), and the World University Games (Universiade) (August), and handed over an invitation to the Strawberry Expo.

Located just below Milan and Venice, Emilia-Romagna is a premier industrial and economic hub in northern Italy, standing as one of the country's largest export regions with well-developed advanced manufacturing—such as automobiles and machinery—and agri-food industries.

The region particularly stands out for hosting renowned automobile manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati.

With an area of 22,453 ㎢, it is 2.7 times the size of Chungnam (8,247 ㎢), and its population of 4.5 million is 2.1 times that of Chungnam (2.2 million).

Its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) is approximately €198.6 billion (approx. 295 trillion KRW), which is about double Chungnam's GRDP (152 trillion KRW). Its per capita GRDP stands at €44,600 (approx. 66 million KRW), similar to Chungnam's (71 million KRW).

Export value is €84.3 billion (126 trillion KRW), import value is €51.1 billion (77 trillion KRW), and the trade balance is €33.2 billion (49 trillion KRW). While its exports and trade balance fall slightly short of Chungnam's, its imports exceed those of Chungnam.