President Prabowo Subianto met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the Blue House in Seoul on Wednesday (April 1, local time), where both leaders agreed to expand bilateral cooperation under a special comprehensive strategic partnership. 

The partnership encompasses key areas including economic cooperation, defense, and artificial intelligence (AI). Lee said the strengthened collaboration would cover economic development and innovation, the defense industry, and cultural exchange. 

In the economic sector, Lee noted that more South Korean companies are expected to participate in Indonesia’s strategic industries, supporting the country’s long-term development agenda. “I express my deep appreciation to President Prabowo for his support and attention toward South Korean companies,” Lee said, as quoted from a statement by the Government Communication Office. 

In defense, both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in shipbuilding, building on existing joint efforts in fighter jet development. 

The two sides also agreed to collaborate on integrating Indonesia’s big data with South Korea’s AI technology to address humanitarian challenges and strengthen the country’s AI ecosystem. “President Prabowo and I share the view that the happiness and prosperity of our people are the top priorities of our respective governments,” Lee said. 

Prabowo described the strengthened partnership as a new milestone in Indonesia–South Korea relations. “History shows that our countries share similarities and common interests. Both nations have struggled to achieve independence,” he said. 

The meeting concluded with the exchange of multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) following the bilateral talks. The agreements cover the establishment of the special comprehensive strategic partnership, Economic Cooperation 2.0, cooperation in critical minerals, digital development, AI for health and human development, clean energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), offshore plant services, intellectual property protection and enforcement, and financial cooperation between Danantara and the Export-Import Bank of Korea. 

This article is published in partnership with Katadata   

Original article here