Welcomed by President Park, President Jokowi Attends ASEAN – Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit
Welcomed by President Park, President Jokowi Attends ASEAN – Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit
On the last day of his visit to South Korea, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) attended the final session of the 25th ASEAN – Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, in Busan, South Korea, on Friday morning (12/12). The session was attended by ASEANs and South Koreas national leaders.
The summit which had the theme Building Trust, Bringing Happiness was divided into two sessions. The series of the summit had actually begun since 11 December 2014.
President Jokowi, who was wearing a black formal suit with a red necktie, arrived at Bexco, the venue of the summit, at about 09.10 AM local time (07.10 AM west Indonesia time). He was welcomed directly by South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
After all the national leaders arrived, the summit organizer put a gray shawl around the neck of each of the leaders one-by-one. Afterward, all the national leaders joined their hands, stood side-by-side, and took group photographs. President Jokowi stood between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.?
After attending the summit, President Jokowi returned immediately to Indonesia on the afternoon of the same day.
As previously reported, President Jokowi made a presidential visit to Busan, South Korea, from 10 to 12 December 2014. Besides attending the summit, President Jokowi also visited and observed Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) Company and held a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
Dialog with Indonesian Community in South Korea
Previously, on Thursday evening (11/12), President Jokowi held a dialog with Indonesian community in South Korea. The dialog was held in the President Hall of Kyungsung University, Busan, South Korea.
Together with First Lady Iriana Widodo, President Jokowi arrived at Kyungsung University at about 09.00 PM local time or 07.00 PM west Indonesia time. President Jokowi was also accompanied by, among others, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Sofyan Djalil, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi, Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucracy Reform Yuddy Chrisnandi, and Head of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Marciano Norman.
In addition to Indonesian students who are continuing their studies in Kyungsung University, other Indonesian citizens coming from other various backgrounds also attended the dialog and crowded the universitys President Hall.
The audience of the dialog cheered joyfully when Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea John A. Prasetyo announced, This is our first opportunity to meet together Mr. President Jokowi.
Presently, there are 135 Indonesian students, out of the total 14 thousand students, enrolled in Kyungsung University. The number of Indonesian students enrolled in the university is the largest one, if compared with the number of other Indonesian students enrolled in other South Korean universities. There are more than 1200 Indonesian students presently who are pursuing their studies in South Korea in various educational levels.
Out-of-Date
In the dialog with the Indonesian community, President Jokowi expressed his opinion about Job Training Centers (BLKs). He considered that most of BLKs are already out-of-date and unsuitable for the needs of modern manpower.
I see that the training offered in BLKs from time to time, from the past to the present, usually consists of only simple training, like sewing or welding, using old-fashioned instruments and equipment. Thats really unsuitable for the modern demands, because the working world now is really different, President Jokowi said.
He added furthermore that the sewing machines used in such training are usually not the modern or sophisticated ones. However, changing peoples mental mindsets is not easy.
The dialog also discussed questions about mixed marriages between Indonesian and South Korean citizens. Members of such mixed marriages really wish to obtain dual citizenship, so that their legal status in both countries remains equally strong.
In addition, the dialog also raised issues concerning the moratorium on sending Indonesian migrant workers overseas. President Jokowi said that he will continue the moratorium against countries which cannot yet guarantee protection for Indonesian migrant workers. (*/ANT/ES)
