OSAKA, Japan -- President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed hopes for closer cooperation with Indonesia, requesting President Joko Widodo’s support.

At a summit with Widodo held in Osaka, Japan, Moon stressed the need for closer collaboration between the two countries, while praising developments in recent years, according to Cheong Wa Dae. 

“President Moon assessed bilateral relations have advanced to the highest level during President Widodo’s term, and expressed hopes for continued advancement,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said.

Korea-Indonesia relations were raised to that of special strategic partners following Moon’s meeting with Widodo in 2017.

Ko said that Widodo praised Seoul’s efforts to strengthen ties with Indonesia and other ASEAN states, and called for Korea-Indonesia cooperation to continue.

At the meeting, which lasted 23 minutes, Moon also said that he hopes for Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to be concluded successfully, and that he hopes to announce its signing at the Korea-ASEAN Summit conference scheduled to be held in Busan in November.

Moon was also quoted as saying that Korean firms are ideally equipped to working in Indonesia’s infrastructure projects, and hopes for lasting bilateral cooperation in the defense industry.

In April, Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering won the contract to build submarines for the Indonesian military. The two countries have also been cooperating in a fighter jet development project.



By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)