DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Economy & Trade

Indonesia, South Korea ink $102 Billion in Cooperation Deals

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Indonesia and South Korea agreed on over 20 cooperation deals worth $102 billion during President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Seoul.
  • The agreements span strategic sectors including defense, economy, education, culture, technology, and artificial intelligence.
  • This partnership strengthens the relationship between the two middle-power nations, extending beyond trade to long-term development.

Indonesia and South Korea have significantly deepened their strategic partnership, agreeing on more than 20 cooperation deals valued at approximately $102 billion during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Seoul on April 1, 2026. The agreements encompass a wide range of critical sectors, including politics, defense, education, culture, technology, and artificial intelligence.

Ambassador Cecep Herawan highlighted that these comprehensive agreements underscore the growing ties between Indonesia and South Korea, positioning them as key middle-power allies. The collaboration extends beyond traditional trade, focusing on areas vital for long-term national development and mutual benefit.

More than 20 concrete agreements, including intergovernmental commitments in politics, defense, economy, education, culture, and technology and AI.

— Cecep HerawanAmbassador Cecep Herawan detailing the scope of the agreements reached between Indonesia and South Korea.

A cornerstone of this relationship is defense cooperation. Indonesia holds a significant position within South Korea's defense industry, having been its first international customer for defense products since 1979. This includes the use of aircraft like the KAI KT-1 Woongbi and KAI T-50 Golden Eagle by the Indonesian Air Force.

We are not just buying for defense purposes. Indonesia is also a partner in the development of Korea's defense industry.

— Cecep HerawanAmbassador Cecep Herawan explaining Indonesia's role beyond procurement in the defense sector.

However, the defense collaboration is not limited to arms procurement. Indonesia is actively participating in the development of South Korea's next-generation fighter jet, the KF-21 Boramae. By sending engineers and pilots to join the project, Indonesia benefits from crucial knowledge and experience transfer, bolstering its own human resources in the defense industry. This strategic involvement allows Indonesia to learn from South Korea's defense technology, which itself was developed with American expertise.

Beyond defense, the mutually agreed-upon initiatives also extend to emerging and vital sectors such as electric vehicles, semiconductors, and renewable energy, signaling a broad and forward-looking commitment to joint progress.

Korea learned about the defense industry from America. We are learning about the defense industry that Korea learned from America, from Korea.

— Cecep HerawanAmbassador Cecep Herawan describing the knowledge transfer process in defense technology.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog