1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha held the 3rd Joint Commission Meeting between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Indonesia with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno L.P. Marsudi in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 8.

2. The 3rd Joint Commission Meeting took place pursuant to the agreement reached between the Presidents of the two countries during Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s state visit to the ROK in September last year. In the meeting attended by a number of officials from relevant government agencies of the two countries, the two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on major issues between the two countries; ways to increase substantive cooperation, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

3. The two Ministers noted that Indonesia was the first ASEAN country the ROK President had visited since his inauguration, and the ROK-Indonesia relations are at their best. They especially took note that the two countries have strengthened cooperation commensurate with their “special strategic partnership” through the mutual state visits by the Presidents of the two countries in November 2017 (President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to Indonesia) and September 2018 (President Joko Widodo’s state visit to the ROK), and strategic communications and cooperation between the two countries are deepening through robust high-level exchanges underway.

4. In addition, Minister Kang, saying that Indonesia is a key partner in the ROK government’s New Southern Policy, expressed appreciation to the Indonesian side for showing full support in the process leading up to the ROK’s public announcement of the dates (Nov. 25-27) and venue (Busan) of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit and the 1^st Mekong-ROK Summit on April 1, and requested Indonesia’s active participation in and support for the ROK’s preparation for the meetings.

o Minister Retno welcomed the ROK’s announcement of the dates and venue for the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, and said that Indonesia would continue to actively participate in and support efforts to ensure a successful ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.

5. The two Ministers discussed in depth the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and agreed to continue close communications and cooperation between the two countries to achieve complete denuclearization and to establish a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

o Minister Retno welcomed the ROK government’s efforts towards peace on the Korean Peninsula, and expressed continued support for the efforts.

6. The two Ministers noted with appreciation that the two countries are also closely working together in the security area.

o The two sides shared the view that cooperation in the defense industry is a barometer showing that the depth of strategic cooperation and mutual trust between countries have reached their highest levels, and voiced hope that their mutually-beneficial cooperation in the defense industry, including the KF-X/IF-X project, would continue to grow.

o In the area of maritime security, they also agreed to further step up cooperation between the two countries to establish maritime security and legal order, including counter-piracy and search and rescue operations.

7. The two Ministers also exchanged in-depth views on trade and investment.

o They especially took note of the continuing increase in the trade volume between the two countries, and agreed on the importance of expanding cooperation so that bilateral trade will continue to increase. They expressed hope that the negotiations on an ROK-Indonesia CEPA, whose official resumption was announced in February this year, would be concluded within this year.

o In addition, regarding ways to increase Korean companies’ investments in Indonesia, the ROK side requested the Indonesian government’s continued interest to continue to see successful cases of investment cooperation between the two countries, and the Indonesian side said that it would provide active support.

o On the recent case of late payment of wages by a Korean sewing company, Minister Kang said that President Moon Jae-in ordered active response, and relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were making joint efforts to resolve the issue. The Indonesian side expressed appreciation for the ROK’s active efforts to solve the case.

8. Besides, the two Ministers reviewed the progress made so far in substantive cooperation in a range of areas, including transportation and infrastructure; science and technology; forestry; agriculture; and film and exchange of broadcasting content, and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the areas.

9. The two Ministers shared the view that friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries are necessary to establish a strong foundation for friendly and cooperative relations between the countries, and especially agreed on the importance of exchanges between future generations, who will be the key pillar of the ROK-Indonesia relations.

10. Foreign Minister Kang’s visit to Indonesia served as an opportunity to reaffirm support from Indonesia, the ROK’s key partner in its New Southern Policy and a major ASEAN country, for the ROK’s New Southern Policy and Korean Peninsula policy, and to strengthen strategic cooperation between the two countries, including by helping gain active cooperation from Indonesia in ensuring a successful ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.

* unofficial translation