Importance of Intercommunity Relations

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE/JINSEOK KIM

Moon Jae-in

President Joko Widodo is scheduled to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday (10/9/2018) in Seoul. The meeting reciprocates Moon’s visit to Indonesia in November 2017.

In relation to the upcoming meeting, Kompas interviewed Moon via email. Following are excerpts from the interview.

President Moon: First, I would like to congratulate Indonesia for its successful organization of the 2018 Asian Games. I was pleased to hear that Indonesia was in the top four in the Asian Games, which is a multisport event that serves to unite the 45 participating countries throughout Asia. The spirit and energy of Asia was truly felt, and enjoyed by everyone across the world.

I would also like to convey my thanks to President Joko Widodo and all involved parties for their organization of the Asian Games and their full support, which enabled a joint team of South Korean and North Korean contingents to participate in the parade during the opening [ceremony].

Kompas: Why is Indonesia important? What are the important pillars in the established relationship between Indonesia and South Korea at the present time?

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world. Indonesia has united diverse ethnicities and languages. Indonesia has shown stable economic growth of up to 5 percent. Indonesia has become an important country in ASEAN under President Joko Widodo’s populist leadership. I am also pushing to establish an inclusive economy that prioritizes the people.

The most important pillar in the Indonesia-South Korea relationship is the people. South Koreans enjoy Indonesia’s nature, cultures and cuisines. Because of this, an average 350,000 Koreans visit Indonesia every year. I am pleased and grateful that Indonesians also love Korean culture called Hallyu or the Korean Wave, which includes Korean dramas and K-pop. The closeness between the people of the two countries serves as a major driver for Indonesia and South Korea to continuously strengthen their relationship.

This was why, not long after I was inaugurated president, I assigned a special envoy to ASEAN for the first time in our history. I then chose Indonesia as the first ASEAN country for my official visit.

To significantly strengthen South Korea’s relationship with ASEAN, I pushed for the implementation of the “New Southern Policy”. The scope of cooperation between the two countries was expanded to include the joint development and production of fighter aircraft and submarines. The two countries will increase bilateral trade to US$30 billion by 2022 and strengthen cooperation in the petrochemical, automotive and machinery industries.

You have a decisive role in establishing a positive atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula. What are the most important elements of your policies on the Korean Peninsula?

Policies on the Korean Peninsula should, in essence, prevent another war. South Koreans long for peace in their daily lives. Through the Panmunjom Declaration [for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula] on April 27 and the Joint Statement between the US and North Korea on June 12, the leaderships of South Korea, North Korea and the US reaffirmed the countries’ joint pledge for complete denuclearization and building peace on the Korean Peninsula. The historic agreement between the two leaders was a milestone towards peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

The most important thing is to be sincere in implementing the agreement. We wish to accelerate the process by the end of this year and not revert to previous situations. Therefore, building mutual trust is very important. As a crucial step in building trust, it is better to declare an end to war and hostilities on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea, as a country and a highly interested party, will use all means within its reach to develop a South Korea-North Korea relationship, improve the North Korea-US relationship and accelerate denuclearization.

What can Indonesia do to support peace on the Korean Peninsula?

We wish to thank Indonesia for its attention and support toward building peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Joko Widodo’s sending a special envoy to South Korea and North Korea to invite the leaders of both countries to the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games meant a lot to us, as it reflected [Indonesia’s] great support. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend.

Indonesia has had a good relationship with North Korea since the 1950s. If it can embrace North Korea in diverse cooperation and exchange programs, such as the Asian Games, this would contribute greatly to peace on the Korean Peninsula and to prosperity in Indonesia. We hope Indonesia continues its constructive role in achieving full denuclearization and in creating peace on the Korean Peninsula.

You launched the New Southern Policy during your visit to Indonesia last year. What are the policy’s main goals?

ASEAN holds an important position in international relations today. I believe that ASEAN will achieve more glory, not only in the region but also in the world. As such, improving South Korea-ASEAN relations is highly important. This is an effort to diversify South Korea’s diplomacy. Improving South Korea-ASEAN relations to equal South Korea’s ties with its four strong neighbors, means that South Korea wishes to expand its scope of cooperation, not just in economics, but across all sectors, including diplomacy and security.

This is the central vision in the New Southern Policy that I launched in Jakarta in November 2017. The main goal is to create a future partnership for the people, collective welfare and peace by expanding the South Korea-ASEAN working relationship. The New Southern Policy is expected to strengthen the foundation for friendly cooperation through strengthening the exchange of people, expanding opportunities to achieve collective welfare and contributing to world peace and prosperity.

Indonesia has thus far always held an important role in founding and integrating ASEAN. On the journey of South Korea and ASEAN to create a peaceful community that enjoys collective welfare and prioritizes the people, I hope that Indonesia and South Korea will always enjoy strong, sustainable cooperation.

(ATO)