The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy delegation (led by Jong-chul Kim, Director-General for Trade Cooperation) visited Jakarta, Indonesia from March 6 to March 7 to attend the kickoff meeting of the ASEAN-ROK Think Tank Dialogue on Economic and Trade Policy (AKTD) and the opening ceremony of the Korea-Southeast Asia Policy Cooperation Center, aimed at strengthening multilateral economic policy cooperation with ASEAN. Additionally, the delegation visited the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of Indonesia to discuss cooperation measures on major trade issues such as global supply surpluses and to review key bilateral economic cooperation issues.
On March 7, the AKTD kickoff meeting was held at Hotel Mulia in Jakarta. AKTD is a public-private cooperation-based economic policy research project jointly led by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). The initiative was officially proposed by Korea at the 25th ASEAN-ROK Summit held in Laos in October 2024.
Think tanks from Korea and ASEAN will collaborate on economic and trade research to enhance ASEAN’s policy-making and economic development.
Participants discussed research topics, methodologies, and the implementation schedule. ASEAN think tanks acknowledged that Korea’s industrial policy experience, combined with ASEAN’s growth potential, could create synergies through AKTD.
In his congratulatory remarks, Director-General Kim emphasized, "I hope that AKTD will establish itself as a leading policy platform for Korea-ASEAN economic cooperation and serve as a means to contribute to ASEAN’s balanced economic development through substantive activities."
Earlier that day, the opening ceremony of the Korea-Southeast Asia Policy Cooperation Center took place. Established by KIET, the center will conduct ASEAN-focused policy research and support local business expansion. It will also serve as a venue for public-private-academic policy dialogues involving local Korean businesses, ASEAN governments, and research institutions. Through this initiative, the center aims to incorporate the real needs of Korean businesses into ASEAN’s industrial policies and foster closer economic policy cooperation with ASEAN.
Furthermore, the MOTIE delegation met with Irwan Sinaga, Director-General for Bilateral Cooperation at Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, to hold in-depth discussions on cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, supply chains, and high-tech industries. Notably, the two sides agreed to convene the Korea-Indonesia Economic Cooperation Committee as soon as possible, a high-level economic cooperation channel between MOTIE and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, to comprehensively review bilateral economic cooperation issues—including challenges faced by businesses—and seek practical support measures.
MOTIE will continue to support ASEAN-related economic policy cooperation activities led by private research institutions and think tanks, such as AKTD and the Korea-Southeast Asia Policy Cooperation Center. At the same time, MOTIE plans to further expand bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation with ASEAN—a key region in the Global South—by maintaining close government-to-government communication with Indonesia and other key partner countries.