VP Receives Newly Appointed South Korean Ambassador To Indonesia

Jakarta, Sept 17 (Antara) - Vice President Boediono welcomed the newly appointed South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Cho Tai-young, who took over charge in July 2014. "Welcome to Indonesia and work safely. I believe the relations between the two countries will become better," Boediono stated while receiving the ambassador at the vice presidential office here on Wednesday. Before being appointed as the South Korean ambassador to Indonesia, Tai-young was the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The vice president welcomed the agreements reached between the two countries in various fields. In the field of investment, Boediono especially hoped that Indonesia-Korean ties were not just high in terms of quantity, but also quality. Ambassador Tai-young affirmed that the cooperation between the two countries continues to increase. In the field of defense, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea are cooperating to build a fighter jet named "Fighter Xperiment Korean/Indonesian Fighter Xperiment" (KFX/IFX). "We really have become a strategic partner in the military field," noted Tai-young. In the manufacturing field, Tai-young stated that the cooperation between the two countries` steel manufacturers, POSCO and PT Krakatau Steel, has entered the second stage. An agreement on e-government has also been signed between the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Republic of South Korean Ministry of Security and Public Administration. "Indonesian labor is in high demand in the Republic of Korea. Of the 15 countries that have been cooperating in the field of labor, the number of Indonesian workers are the highest. Currently, there are 10 thousand workers being replaced, and beyond that there are also 50 thousand workers from Indonesia, thereby bringing the total to 60 thousand," Tai-young pointed out. He also explained that Indonesian workers have similar rights as their Korean counterparts. The ambassador also remarked that in the past decade, 12 meetings have been held between the leaders of the two countries. "A total of seven meetings were held in Jakarta and five in South Korea. This indicates a very close relationship between the two countries," Ambassador Tai-young added.