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| Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto speaks during an online event kicking off the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia, Thursday. Courtesy of the Embassy of Indonesia in Seoul |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Indonesia marked the beginning of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia through an online event connecting the two countries on Thursday.
Korean and Indonesian diplomats and government officials gathered virtually to celebrate the occasion, and discussed economic partnerships and the creative economy during the event.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a video message that, "this anniversary calls for a closer friendship and partnership," which includes building a greener and more sustainable economy, as well as promoting peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin highlighted how cultural and creative collaboration between people is flourishing, as are trade and investment cooperation activities.
Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto emphasized the strong cooperation between the two countries in the creative and digital economy as well as in trade relations.
"Indonesia's total trade with the world from January-November 2022 reached $485.24 billion, which recorded a 26.46 percent year-on-year increase from $384.09 billion. Korea has become Indonesia's seventh largest trading partner behind China, Japan, the U.S., Singapore, India and Malaysia" Sulistiyanto said.
Ambassador Sulistiyanto, who took office in January 2022, created a specific unit at the embassy focusing on creative and digital economies and start-ups, encompassing industries such as fashion, music, film, culinary, animations, games and e-sports.
"The collaborations between Indonesian and South Korean actors of creative and digital industries are designed to open a path to more productive cooperation so as to foster the Indonesian Wave and Korean Wave side by side," he said.
A special anniversary logo commemorating 50 years of diplomatic relations was also revealed at the event. The logo, designed by Agus Istianto, was selected through a competition held last autumn to raise awareness among the general public about Korea-Indonesia relations.
According to the embassy, the design symbolizes the long-standing friendship between the two nations as seen from the motif of the Garuda Bird, representing Indonesia's national coat of arms, and the Taegeuk circle, which represents Korea.
The embassy said a series of activities are being planned in celebration of the 50th anniversary throughout the year.
The event was followed by a morning talk program with two themes: "Highlights of Indonesia-Korea Economic Partnership" and "Highlights of Creative Economy and Cultural Cooperation: In Promoting Closer Ties between Indonesia and Korea," with various government officials from both countries as speakers.
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