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Jokowi gets tour of Korean creativity
Draped in a hanbok: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wears a traditional Korean outfit called “hanbok” during his visit to the Munhwa Broadcasting School (MBC) in Seoul on Tuesday
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span class="inline inline-center">Draped in a hanbok: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wears a traditional Korean outfit called “hanbok” during his visit to the Munhwa Broadcasting School (MBC) in Seoul on Tuesday. Jokowi was in South Korea for a three-day state visit to bolster economic cooperation between the two countries.(JP/Tassia Sipahutar)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo got his first taste of South Korea’s massive, advanced creative economy with recent visits to major firms behind various household names.
The President visited public broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and entertainment giant CJ Group’s entertainment and media center in Seoul on Tuesday.
Jokowi and his entourage were welcomed by MBC president Ahn Kwang-han and held discussions with its executives.
Data from MBC show that the company, established in 1961, provides news, drama, sports, entertainment, documentary and radio content.
After the discussion, Jokowi toured MBC’s complex and got the chance to try on its virtual reality (VR) headset, similar to the Oculus VR headset that he used at Facebook’s headquarters in February.
A special dance performance by the head of Indonesia’s Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) Triawan Munaf and famous South Korean rapper G-Dragon entertained the President at MBC’s hologram studio.
However, G-Dragon’s presence on stage was actually represented only by a hologram that made it seem as if Triawan was really dancing with the superstar.
Jokowi then visited the nearby CJ creative center where he was welcomed by CJ Group chairman Sohn Kyung-shik.
CJ is popular for its movie productions, K-pop groups and multiplex theaters.
Jokowi’s visit to CJ commenced with performances by pop singer Ailee and boy group Block B, followed by a short screening of film Jupiter Ascending at the center’s 4DX auditorium that is equipped with special effects.
The effects moved Jokowi and his aides, literally, as the chairs shifted sideways and up and down, in time with the on-screen action.
At one point, a character flew at light speed and Jokowi’s chair shook his slight figure.
After the visits, Jokowi told a group of journalists that the fresh experience was ammunition for the development of Indonesia’s own creative economy.
“That’s why we came to MBC and CJ. We want to work with them and realize partnerships as soon as possible.”
Under a new partnership scheme with MBC, Indonesia will send officials there for training to develop the public broadcasting sector at home.
Triawan said that one goal was to turn state-owned television station TVRI into a world-class broadcasting firm that disseminated quality information on Indonesia.
“Both TVRI and MBC were established in 1961 and are public broadcasters, but their fates could not be more different,” he said.
CJ, on the other hand, expressed interest in opening more cinemas in Indonesia. It currently has a presence in Indonesia through CGV Blitz cinema chain in 10 cities.
Triawan said that his agency would encourage CJ to open new cinemas outside of Jakarta to meet people’s growing demand for entertainment. Data from Bekraf show that there are only 1,117 screens across the archipelago, a figure equal to what Beijing boasts as a single city.
Prior to Tuesday’s visits, the Indonesian government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the creative economy with its South Korean counterpart.
The MoU opens the door for technical assistance, joint production and education programs across several areas, namely movie production technology, broadcasting content and digital content.
The government expects the creative economy to make a significant contribution to GDP, supported by ongoing and future initiatives.
The creative economy itself was valued at Rp 950 trillion (US$71.55 billion) or 8.6 percent of GDP in 2015. Culinary business made up for 33 percent of GDP, while fashion business accounted for around 30 percent.
After the three-day state visit to South Korea, Jokowi will head to Sochi, Russia, for a working visit.
He is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening and to attend the ASEAN-Russia Summit from Thursday to Friday.
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