Former ambassador publishes a book on Italy

Former ambassador publishes a book on Italy. August. 22, 2016 07:07. by 손효림기자 aryssong@donga.com. Kim Yeong-seok had spent many years in Europe as the first secretary in the Korean embassy in the old Yugoslavia and Korea’s ambassador to Norway and Italy. After retirement as a diplomat, he joined Italian confectionery group Ferrero and currently serves as an adviser for Ferrero Asia Limited.

The 63-year-old former ambassador has recently published a book titled “Italy, Italy: Kim Yeong-seok’s journey into humanities” in which he describes Italy’s history, cities, culture and art in various dimensions.

“During my last years as a diplomat in Italy, I vividly realized that many European countries has cultural roots in Italy in terms of the language (Latin), fine arts, literature and religion through journeys to small towns as well as large cities such as Rome and Florence,” Kim said at his office in southern Seocho on Wednesday.

This was why he published a book about Italy, hoping that many Koreans travelling the country would take another step closer to the humanities. “Although Italy is suffering political and economic problems at this point, I believe that its deep-rooted history is giving the country strong capacity to recover,” said Kim.

The Ferrero Group, which mark 70th anniversary this year, has grown into a global company from a bakery in Alba, a small town in Piemonte. Kim describes the company as a symbol of Italy’s craftsmanship.

“Ferrero Rocher, chocolate sweet made of hazelnut (grown in Piemonte) mixed with pieces of wafer and liquid chocolate, is produced by the company’s self-developed machine, which shows Italy’s sophisticated craftsmanship,” said Kim. He provides advice on the Ferrero Group’s corporate social responsibility activities in Korea, including the youth ski school and family running event on Children’s Day. The company hosts many events for children, its key customers.

“I’d like to share my knowledge and experience I earned as a diplomat, serving as a bridge between Korea and Italy,” said Kim.