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span class="inline inline-left">First steps: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (right) walks with Kim Yong-nam, the President of North Korea’s Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. JP/Jerry Adiguna President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono played the part of a good listener when he met North Korea’s second-most powerful man, Kim Yong-nam, at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday, disappointing activists who wanted him to push for changes in Pyongyang.

The meeting did not achieve any significant outcomes as it was mostly filled by explanations from the North Korean figure.

“To have a better and more developed relationship, firstly, I want to hear what we can do to ensure that the world, and the Asia-Pacific, can become a peaceful region,” Yudhoyono said, before shutting reporters out of the meeting.

Kim, the President of North Korea’s Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, later told Yudhoyono about his country’s stance on numerous security-related issues that have been under the global spotlight, such as a planned satellite launch and the efforts to unify the Korean peninsula, according to Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

While Kim did not delve into North Korea’s nuclear program and human rights, President Yudhoyono opted not to pursue it, Marty said.

“The meeting was a rare opportunity, particularly due to the recent leadership succession in North Korea. Therefore, our first step was to listen so we could learn Pyongyang’s world-view on many issues,” he said.

It is Kim’s first overseas trip since Kim Jong-un became leader in December, following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. Marty said Kim delivered an invitation by North Korea leader Kim Jong-un for Yudhoyono to visit Pyongyang

There was no joint statement after the meeting, as is customary following such meetings at the Palace.

Yudhoyono underlined the importance of “transparency and dialogue to avoid misunderstanding”, Marty said. Similar soft diplomacy had seen Indonesia become a key player in bringing democratization in Myanmar, Marty said. “But it cannot be done in a hurry.”

Kim emphasized desire to seek help for the country’s impoverished economy following UN sanctions being imposed after the launch of a long-range rocket last month.

“North Korea sharpened its focus on economy and trade, that Indonesia could share how to regulate or manage foreign investment in the country. We noted that North Korea’s attention was quite high on the topics related to economic development and investment,” Marty said.

Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Haris Azhar said Yudhoyono should have done more.

“It was a disappointment that the meeting failed to result in concrete recommendations,” he said.

Kim also had separate meetings with Vice President Boediono and the leaderships of the House of Representatives and the People’s Consultative Assembly. “I had planned to discuss the possibility for future peace between North and South Koreas, but I dropped it as I thought that the time was not right to bring such a sensitive issue to the table,” House Speaker Marzuki Alie said.