TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In a bid to boost economic ties between Indonesia and South Korea, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on Sunday (15/5) left for Seoul, South Korea for a state visit until May 18.
President Jokowi, who was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution and Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, departed aboard presidential aircraft Indonesia One at 9:05 a.m.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Franky Sibarani are already in Seoul ahead of the President’s departure.
In South Korea, President Jokowi is scheduled to meet Indonesian community in South Korea at the Indonesian embassy in Seoul, on Sunday evening.
On Monday, Jokowi and South Korean President Park Geun-hye are slated to hold bilateral talks on political, economic and socio-cultural issues.
For the record, 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.
BAYU PRASETYO | ANTARA