President to Sign Number of MOUs in South Korea

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo plans to sign a number of memorandums of understanding during his state visit to South Korea on May 15-18.

"President Jokowi will begin his state visit to Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday in response to the invitation from President Park Geun-hye," South Koreas ambassador to Indonesia, Taiyoung Cho, said here on Wednesday.

He explained that the MOUs will cover several sectors, including the environment, creative industry, forestry, peat land, trade and others.

South Korea is the fifth biggest investor in Indonesia, with total investment reaching US$1.2 billion while trade between the two countries peaked at US$30 billion in 2011.

President Jokowi is also scheduled to hold business meetings, including a one-on-one meeting and a luncheon round table discussion, with 20 biggest businessmen in South Korea.

He will also give a speech at the Asian Leadership Meeting, the biggest discussion forum in South Korea on leadership and innovation.

Foreign minister Retno Marsudi had earlier informed that South Korea is one of the main partners of Indonesia when it comes to trade, investment and tourism. Indonesia also plans to partner with South Korea to expedite the pace of industrialization in the country, she said.

Besides South Korea, President Jokowi is also scheduled to go on a working visit to Russia to attend the ASEAN-Russia Summit on May 18-20.

On May 18, President Jokowi will depart for Sochi, Russia, for the ASEAN-Russia summit and a number of bilateral meetings with several partners.

President Jokowi visited Busan, South Korea, in 2014, to see a number of industrial zones, including a shipbuilding industry. (WDY)