Indonesia's Prabowo to visit South Korea for defense, tech and energy talks
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will make a state visit to South Korea from March 31 to April 2, 2024, at the invitation of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The leaders last met about five months earlier at the Korea-Indonesia summit held on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, October last year.
The visit will begin with an official welcoming ceremony on April 1, followed by a summit, a signing ceremony for memoranda of understanding, and a state luncheon, according to a briefing from Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House).
Defense and defense industry cooperation will be the core focus of the talks. Indonesia is Korea’s first weapons-export market and a partner in a joint fighter aircraft development program, underscoring a deepening trust and the prospect of tangible results.
Beyond defense, the two sides plan to discuss broad cooperation in advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as in infrastructure, shipbuilding, nuclear power, energy transition, and the culture and creative industries.
The discussions will also touch on Indonesia’s development goals, including its “Golden Indonesia Vision” toward 2045 to become a developed country, which could widen opportunities for Korean firms in Indonesia’s growing economy.
President Yoon's agenda includes strengthening Korea-ASEAN ties, with Indonesia as a key partner given the ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta. The relationship with Indonesia — the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and the largest economy within ASEAN — holds significance for regional and global issues, including Middle East dynamics and the Korean Peninsula.
Indonesia hosts about 2,300 Korean companies and sees annual bilateral exchanges of around 800,000 visitors, reflecting robust people-to-people and business ties. Cheong Wa Dae said the visit would reinforce regional stability and peace, built on more than five decades of trust since diplomatic ties were established in 1973.
For U.S. readers, the visit matters because closer defense collaboration and expanded tech, energy, and infrastructure cooperation could influence regional security dynamics, supply chains, and opportunities for American firms in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The talks may also signal broader alignment on Indo-Pacific economic and strategic priorities involving the United States, Seoul, and Jakarta.