Korea-Indonesia Summit on Sidelines of G20 Summit in Japan

June 28, 2019

President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian President Joko Widodo held talks at a bilateral summit conference room on the first floor of INTEX Osaka from 2:23 p.m. to 2:46 p.m. today.

 President Moon congratulated the Indonesian President on his election in April to a second consecutive term. Noting that Indonesia is Korea’s key partner in its New Southern Policy, President Moon said bilateral relations have been at their best during President Widodo’s term in office as evidenced by the fact that they have been upgraded to a special strategic partnership. President Moon went on to express his expectations that cooperative ties would continue to deepen during President Widodo’s second term.

 President Widodo gave high marks to the Korean Government’s commitment to cooperation in regard to bolstering relations with Indonesia and other ASEAN member states. He proposed that the two countries continue to work together so that friendly cooperation would be taken to new heights during his next five years in office.

 The two leaders noted, in particular, the fact that since the time they agreed to further expand economic cooperation to create new growth engines, tangible outcomes have been produced in various areas of cooperation, including automobiles, infrastructure and the defense industry.

 President Moon said, “I hope the relevant authorities will successfully conclude consultations about the Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) so that we will be able to announce the settlement of negotiations at the upcoming ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in November this year.” In response, the Indonesian President expressed full agreement with President Moon’s opinions and added that he hoped the negotiations could be finalized before December this year.

 President Moon underscored, “Korean businesses with advanced technologies and abundant experience will become optimal cooperation partners in infrastructure projects, including the construction of the light rail transit system that the Indonesian Government is prioritizing.” In this regard, President Moon requested the Indonesian Government’s special interest in and support for Korean auto and dairy products businesses advancing into its market.

 In his reply, President Widodo expressed gratitude for the many Korean companies now investing in numerous sectors in Indonesia, adding that he would continue to pay close attention to Korean businesses.

 Moreover, President Moon spoke highly of the fact that a Korean company won a bid for the second phase of an Indonesian submarine project in April and that other defense industry cooperation is progressing in mutually beneficial ways. President Moon continued, “Korea will provide active support to help Indonesia develop the capacity to build submarines on its own going forward.”

President Widodo responded that he is very glad that the second phase of the submarine project has begun, stressing the importance and necessity of technology transfer in the defense industry.

 President Moon said, “I hope the two countries’ ongoing joint project to develop the next generation fighter aircraft (KF-X/IF-X) would also proceed smoothly.”   d defense industry cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. Prime Minister Modi said that the Indian Government would actively review and carry forward all matters put forth by President Moon.

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