Indonesia's Joko Widodo comes to Seoul this week

Politics

Published: 25 Jul. 2022, 16:59

Indonesia's Joko Widodo comes to Seoul this week

Korean National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han gives a press briefing on Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s two-day visit to Seoul this week at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Indonesian President Joko Widodo will hold their first summit in Seoul later this week to discuss defense and economic cooperation and Korea's Asean outreach.

Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, will begin a two-day official visit to Korea on Wednesday and hold talks with Yoon on Thursday, according to the presidential National Security Office Monday.

"President Yoon in his summit with President Jokowi will discuss ways for the two countries to cooperate in various fields such as defense, infrastructure, and economic security," said National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han in a briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul.

The visit is expected to be an opportunity to deepen the special strategic partnership between Korea and Indonesia and strengthen cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean.

The two sides will hold an in-depth discussion on key global issues, including Yoon's Indo-Pacific strategy.

Widodo will be the second foreign leader to visit Seoul since Yoon's inauguration in May, after U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Indonesian leader arrives in Seoul Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning, he is expected to meet with businesspeople in Korea and visit Hyundai Motor's research center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi.

Later that day, Yoon and Widodo will have their summit at the Yongsan presidential office and hold a joint press conference. Yoon will host an official dinner banquet for the Indonesian delegation attended by Korean business leaders.

Indonesia accounts for 41 percent of Asean's population and 34 percent of the regional bloc's total gross domestic product (GDP).

It is also the only Asean country that holds a special strategic partnership with Korea.

"Considering Indonesia's strategic importance, the Korean government has made an effort for our bilateral relationship to become a driving force for strengthening Korea-Asean cooperation," said Kim. "It is expected that President Jokowi's visit to Korea will not only strengthen Korea-Indonesia relations but also signal the start of the Yoon administration's full-fledged diplomacy with Asean."

Kim said that Indonesia is a country that is a member of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and "plays an important role in stabilizing the supply chain for key minerals."

In May, the United States launched the IPEF, a comprehensive economic framework first proposed by Biden last October and viewed as a check on Chinese influence in the region, with a dozen of its Indo-Pacific partners, including Korea.

The two sides are also expected to discuss Indonesia's overdue payments for the joint KF-21 advanced supersonic jet fighter project, also dubbed the Boramae. Indonesia refers to the project as IF-X.

A senior presidential official told reporters Monday, "It is expected that the [KF-21 payment] issue will be brought up while discussing various items on the agenda."

The KF-21, Korea's first domestically developed supersonic fighter jet, succeeded in its maiden test flight last week. Korea became the world's eighth country to develop an advanced supersonic fighter jet.

In 2015, Indonesia agreed to contribute 20 percent of the cost of the project, or around 1.7 trillion won ($1.3 million). However, it halted making payments in the second half of 2017. The two sides hashed out their differences and came to an agreement in November last year in which Indonesia will end up paying 30 percent of its contribution in alternative methods to cash, such as bartering military supplies and other resources.

Indonesia's current overdue payment for the KF-21 project is reportedly estimated at around 800 billion won.

The senior official said on the payment delays, "Indonesia's intention to cooperate is strong, and because of this, we hope that they will be resolved soon."

The official pointed out that 39 Indonesian technicians were dispatched to the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the aircraft maker responsible for the project, indicating the country's commitment.

Yoon is expected to also discuss his administration's Indo-Pacific strategy, which will expand on the New Southern Policy, the Moon Jae-in government's signature foreign policy initiative focusing on Southeast Asia.

The senior official said the Yoon administration intends to keep the basic framework and positive aspects of the New Southern Policy but also "upgrade and expand" upon it.

"The New Southern Policy tended to focus heavily on economic and cultural cooperation," said the official. "In the future, we plan to add diplomacy and security to make possible more comprehensive cooperation with Asean."

He added that if Korea's New Southern Policy previously focused heavily on ties with Vietnam, "It is necessary to diversify this into a two-tier plan that includes Indonesia."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]