Fajarasia.id – South Korea’s appointed ambassador to Indonesia, Lee Sang Deok, underscored the progress of the two countries over 50 years.
In “Indonesia-Korea Morning Talk”:
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of friendship held in Jakarta by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, he explained that friendship between Indonesia and South Korea began before diplomatic ties were established in 1973.
“Indonesia assisted the Republic of Korea by supplying raw materials during the 1952 Korean War,” Lee said, explaining the history of the relationship between the two countries.
Since then, Indonesia-South Korea relations have developed through cooperation in various fields.
For example, in the economic sphere, the volume of bilateral trade will surge from $185 million (approximately Rs 2.7 trillion) in 1973 to approximately $30 billion (approximately Rs 449.1 trillion) in 2022. It is expected. “In addition, Indonesia is the only ASEAN member country that has a special strategic partnership with South Korea.
President Joko Widodo has marked his fifth visit to South Korea since 2014, and in return President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Bali for his G20 summit in November 2022.
Prime Minister Lee further explained that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) between Indonesia and South Korea, which entered into force on January 1, 2023, will further promote cooperation between the two countries.
“There have also been great strides in the field of culture, with K-pop and K-food culture enjoying tremendous popularity among young Indonesians today.At the same time, many Koreans in Seoul enjoy fried rice. I enjoy Indonesian food such as sate and satay,” he said. “In other words, the road of cross-cultural society between the two countries has already begun,” Li added.
He also said that so far he has contributed more than 90,000 Indonesians to South Korea’s sustainable economic development.
Going forward, Lee is optimistic that more cooperation will be possible between Indonesia and South Korea.
In the face of geopolitical dynamics and global competition, as well as common challenges such as climate change, Lee emphasized that enhancing cooperation is not a matter of choice today, but a necessity.
For this reason, he said Indonesia and South Korea share the same vision, as shown by the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative, the South Korean Strategy for a Free, Peaceful and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region and the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook. “Both (these views) define Indonesia as South Korea’s most important cooperation partner. I really want it.”
