Korea to Deepen High-Tech, Energy Ties With Prabowo, Macron in Back-to-Back State Visits
The Blue House announced that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will visit Korea for a state visit from March 31 to April 2, followed by French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit from April 2 to April 3. The schedule was disclosed by spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong in a written briefing on March 13.
Indonesia is the Southeast Asian bloc’s largest economy and one of its most populous nations, with abundant natural resources. Prabowo’s trip is expected to focus on elevating the Korea-Indonesia Special Strategic Partnership and expanding cooperation in defense and defense industries, artificial intelligence, shipbuilding, and nuclear energy.
Prabowo previously came to Korea in October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Gyeongju, where he met with Korea’s president for a bilateral discussion. On this visit, Seoul and Jakarta are expected to deepen ties across political, economic, and security fields.
Macron’s visit will be the first time a European head of state visits Korea since the current Korean administration took office, and it marks the French president’s first Korea trip in 11 years. The aim is to broaden Korea-France cooperation across multiple domains, including trade and investment, advanced technologies, science and education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Blue House said talks with Macron will cover a wide range of topics, with emphasis on collaboration in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, and nuclear power, in addition to broader science and technology ties, education, culture, and mobility of people.
For U.S. readers, the visits signal growing interoperability and alignment among Korea, Indonesia, and France on high-tech, energy, and security issues that matter to the region’s supply chains and global markets. The meetings could influence how allied nations cooperate on semiconductors, AI and quantum computing, energy security, and defense technology in the Indo-Pacific.
Contextualizing further, Korea has been a global hub for advanced manufacturing and technology, while Indonesia anchors Southeast Asia’s largest economy and a potential hub for diversified regional supply chains. France remains a major European partner in technology, energy, and defense. The back-to-back state visits underscore Seoul’s goal of expanding strategic partnerships beyond its traditional alliance framework.