Yun also expressed Seoul’s appreciation for and solidarity with Jakarta, which condemned Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests last year.

Prasetio conveyed his gratitude to the Korean government, as the two countries marked the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership last year. The alliance allows the highest levels of government to meet annually to find ways to increase cooperation.

Both men noted that Korean companies had expanded their operations in Indonesia, most notably Posco, LG Electronics and Hankook Tire. Shinhan Bank will also launch its business in Indonesia in early February.

The two countries will have a strategic dialogue at the vice ministerial level in Indonesia from Feb. 6-7, and on March 13, Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy will visit Jakarta for a meeting with his counterpart. 

Prasetio -- previously the chairman of CBA Consulting Group and a board member of Bank Permata as well as an advisory panel member of Procter and Gamble Indonesia, Crowe Horwath Indonesia and Mitsui Indonesia -- will return to the private sector. He told The Korea Herald that he would “take it easy” for a while before deciding on his future.

As part of Indonesia’s efforts to reform its bureaucracy and economy, Prasetio concentrated his efforts on branding the country as business-friendly to foreign investors. In doing so, he took a down-to-earth approach by streamlining the visa application process for Korean businesspeople and travelers shortly after his ambassadorship began.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, where Indonesia -- an archipelago of 17,000 islands with a rapidly growing population of 260 million people -- is the regional bloc’s largest country in terms of population and economic size.

By Joel Lee (heraldcorp.com)