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Indonesia, South Korea aim to strengthen health cooperation
Indonesia and South Korea are banking on their close cooperation in the health industry, which includes initiatives to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, an immunotherapy drug and diagnostic tools.
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Health issues: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right) delivers a statement while her South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong listens during a joint press conference after a bilateral meeting at the Foreign Ministry's Pancasila Building in Jakarta on June 25, 2021. The meeting discussed health cooperation including procurement of personal protective equipment, diagnostic tools, medicines and vaccine development. (Handout/Indonesian Foreign Ministry)
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ndonesia and South Korea are set to strengthen health cooperation, including by developing vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tools for COVID-19, as the two middle-power countries seek to expand meaningful cooperation.
South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong met with Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi for a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Friday, as part of his tour of Southeast Asia this week. He also paid a courtesy call to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The recently installed top diplomat’s visit is part of South Korea’s wider foreign policy initiative, which was recently updated as the New Southern Policy Plus and aims to deepen engagement with India and Southeast Asia.
The two ministers signed a plan of action for the implementation of their “special strategic partnership”, which was agreed upon when South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Indonesia in 2017.
Read also: Indonesia, South Korea aim for inclusive regional order
Now both sides are looking to capitalize on this close partnership to seek common solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesia’s Retno said South Korea was one of the countries Indonesia enjoyed good health cooperation with amid the pandemic. Both sides are working hand-in-hand on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), diagnostics equipment and medicine.
