Today, on the second day of his state visit to Indonesia, President Moon Jae-in attended the Indonesia-Korea Business Roundtable and Forum, held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Jakarta. President Moon met with leading Korean business investors in Indonesia and local Indonesian business leaders.

In his opening remarks, Park Yongmaan, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said President Moon’s choice of Indonesia as the first destination of his tour of Asia, despite many pending diplomatic urgencies, indicated his priority on Korea-Indonesian cooperation. Chairman Park thanked the President for his interest and reminded the participants that Indonesian President Joko Widodo had also attended a KCCI event in Busan during his inaugural year. The Chairman expressed expectations for enhanced cooperative ties.

Rosan P. Roeslani, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, began his remarks with the Korean greeting Annyeong haseyo (“Good morning”). He said Korea and Indonesia have great potential for win-win projects on diverse fronts and that the two sides can jointly discover still more opportunities going forward. He added the Indonesian Government would also work to upgrade collaborative ties in infrastructure, energy, maritime development and tourism. He concluded his remarks by saying thank you in Korean, Gamsa hamnida, which elicited applause from the participants.

Next, President Moon delivered his congratulatory remarks, expressing gratitude to the Korean and Indonesian business leaders for their contributions in taking the Indonesian economy forward. Having dispatched a special emissary to ASEAN upon his inauguration, the President declared efforts would be made to elevate Korean ties with ASEAN to the level of those with the four nations whose interests have traditionally converged on the Korean Peninsula. He added that ASEAN was both Korea`s second largest trade partner and a destination for six million Korean travelers each year. The President also said ASEAN, a home to more than 600 million people, continued to grow amidst the last global financial crisis. The President said Korea must be prepared in line with ASEAN’s prospects to emerge as a major economic center. He also talked about similar historical experiences: Korea and Indonesia managed to achieve democratization and economic growth after enduring authoritarian rule. The President added that Korea was fortunate to achieve these goals in a relatively short time and that sharing such experiences with Indonesia benefits both sides.  

In particular, President Moon said he and President Joko Widodo could become ideal partners, as they have so much in common, starting from their people-centered governing philosophies and priorities on close communication with the people. He also said the two Governments were advancing policies for the development of local regions, and that, for these reasons, bilateral relations would only grow closer in the days to come.

The Indonesian Minister of Industry spoke next, followed by Chairman Chairul Tanjung of CT Corp.; the Chairman of the Sinar Mas Group, the world`s fourth largest pulp and paper producer; and certain Korean business leaders. 

The Chairman of Hojeon Ltd., a Korean SME which has been making investment in Indonesia for 27 years, emphasized the importance of job creation by SMEs. He observed that people commonly believe economic growth is driven by large business groups, including those in the heavy industries, but that SMEs actually create many of the job opportunities. The chairman said he started up his first factory in Indonesia 27 years ago and now has six factories there, employing about 18,000 people. Noting that labor-intensive industries are creating many jobs in any country, he recommended that Indonesia pay more attention to job creation.

CJ Corp. Chairman and CEO Sohn Kyung-shik presented CJ’s operation in various areas, including food processing, baked goods and movie theaters. Sohn explained his company has steadily expanded its Indonesian operations since entering the market in 1988. The chairman said CJ was running an animal feed factory, layer chicken farm, and seasoning product factory in the country. Sohn went on to say CJ was working to expand the Tous les Jours bakery chain, now with 55 outlets in Indonesia. His goal is to raise that number to 200. The Chairman went on to say that CJ’s CGV movie theater chain, now with 240 screens nationwide, aims to branch out into smaller cities and towns in line with Indonesian President Widodo’s efforts to provide greater cultural and entertainment opportunities at the local level.

In his closing remarks, President Moon agreed with the Hojeon Ltd. chairman’s emphasis on job creation by SMEs and said they were responsible for most of jobs created. The President expressed his expectations for more economic exchanges between Korea and Indonesia, noting that the large, dynamic youth population in the Southeast Asian country was its potential. 

Immediately after the business roundtable, a business forum opened in an adjacent ballroom. The number of participants was a new record for a Korean-Indonesian event.

The two hundred Korean representatives included Chairman of the KCCI Park Yongmaan; Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Ungyu; Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-hwa; Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee; Senior Secretary to the President for Economic Affairs Hong Jang-pyo; Adviser to the President for Economic Affairs Kim Hyun-chul; Chairman and CEO of CJ Corp. Sohn Kyung-shik; Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics Yoon Boo-keun; Co-CEO and Vice Chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Jung Ji-taek; Vice Chairman and CEO of GS Energy Ha Young-bong; President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Chung Jin-haeng; and Chief Executive Officer and Representative Director of Lotte Chemical Kim Gyo-hyun.  

Among the two hundred people from the Indonesian side were Chairman of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rosan P. Roeslani; Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto; Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono; Chairman of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board Thomas Lembong; Chairman of CT Corp. Chairul Tanjung; Chairman of Smartfren Franky Widjaja; and President Director of PT Jakarta Propertindo Satya Heragandhi.