By Kayla Lee

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is currently in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the ASEAN Summit, attended the Korea-Indonesia Business Roundtable (BRT) on September 7 to assess the achievements of bilateral economic cooperation and present a strategy for developing the partnership for the next 50 years.

The President praised Indonesia as a key partner in the ASEAN-Korea Solidarity Initiative and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, where more than 2,000 Korean companies are active. 

He also emphasized that Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN and has a wealth of key minerals, so there is great potential for cooperation with Korean companies leading high-tech industries such as electric vehicles and batteries, and called for active collaboration between the two countries' companies.

The President went on to say that Indonesia is a leader in ASEAN and a key partner in responding to the global agenda. In particular, as both countries are boldly pursuing carbon neutrality, he said, he hopes that cooperation will be realized in the field of nuclear power plants such as SMRs to secure a stable energy supply base while responding to climate crisis and environmental issues.

The President also expressed his hope that exchanges between future generations and solidarity are the foundation for sustainable cooperation and development between the two countries.

Today's BRT was attended by 19 business leaders from the Korean side, including Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin, and LS Chairman Koo Ja-eun, and 17 business leaders from the Indonesian side.

Sixteen MOUs or agreements were signed on the BRT instrument in areas such as key minerals, nuclear power, new city construction, health, and power. The government plans to actively support the MOUs so that they can be quickly translated into concrete results.