Indonesia is looking forward to stronger relations with South Korea in various fields ranging from defense to economy, including the development of the new capital city Nusantara (IKN).

During a recent visit to Seoul, South Korea, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi co-chaired the fourth Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) of Indonesia and South Korea with her South Korean counterpart Park Jin on Friday, during which she expressed ways that both countries could and had done to strengthen relations.

The meeting on Friday was the fourth iteration of its kind, with the last meeting being conducted in March 2019 in Jakarta.

“This current JCM of Indonesia-South Korea also has a special meaning as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of Indonesia-South Korea relations and Indonesia’s chairmanship both in ASEAN and MIKTA,” Retno said in a recorded press briefing on Friday.

She added that during the occasion she expressed the need to broaden defense cooperation including in defense technology transfer.

“I reiterated that we need to strengthen the collaboration between Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises [SOEs], such as PT Pindad, PTDI and PT PAL, with South Korean partners,” Retno said.

She also encouraged the two countries to optimize the Defense Industry Cooperation Committee (DICC) and Foreign and Defense Senior Officials Meeting (2+2 SOM) to discuss strategic issues such as cyber security, peacekeeping operations, maritime security and counterterrorism.

Retno said the two countries should continue to optimize the Indonesia-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) as last year both countries had recorded their highest bilateral trade volume on record, reaching US$24.53 billion, a 33 percent increase from 2021.

“However, we still have quite a lot of room to grow our trade to reach the target of $30 billion,” Retno said.

She pointed out that since the IK-CEPA went into force earlier this year, more than 1,000 certificates of origins have been issued for preferential tariff of trade worth $52.88 million between the two countries.

Retno encouraged the South Korean private sector to increase investment in strategic industry sectors such as steel, petrochemicals, EV batteries, renewable energy and the development of the new capital city, Nusantara.

She encouraged more people-to-people contact between Indonesia and South Korea, seeking the target of 300,000 South Korean tourists in Indonesia.

“I also suggested that South Korea could grant visa-free travel for short duration visits of Indonesian tourists,” Retno said.

During her visit to Seoul, minister Retno conducted a courtesy call meeting with the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, bringing a message from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

She said during the courtesy call she expressed that Indonesia and South Korea could strengthen cooperation in developing the electric vehicles industry ecosystem.

“We also appreciate South Korea and its businesses’ interest in cooperation in the development of the Nusantara capital, especially on smart cities and water management,” Retno said.

Retno said during the meeting, president Yoon expressed his support for Indonesia’s ASEAN and MIKTA chairmanships, synergy of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, and also expressed his plan to attend the ASEAN Summit in September.

Summit for Democracy

Retno attended the 2nd Summit for Democracy’s Indo-Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Meeting session in Seoul on Thursday, as South Korea is one of the co-hosts of the virtual summit along with the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia.

The Summit for Democracy was first initiated by the US in 2021.

President Jokowi delivered Indonesia’s national statement in a prerecorded message on Wednesday, stressing that democracy must be inclusive and benefit the common people.

He said democracy could not be carried out in an exclusive manner and could not be used as a containment tool in international relations.

“Democracy must provide the same opportunities for all to thrive and contribute. All voices must be heard, all interests must be considered,” Jokowi said.

He went on to say that democracy must benefit the people, and everyone must contribute to ensure that democracy delivers peace and stability, not deepening rivalries.

“Peace and stability is very important, extremely important for development. Developing countries need peace and development,” Jokowi said.

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