Korean and Indonesian officials discuss ways to improve farming infrastructure in towns near Yogyakarta in central Java, following a global governance conference held in December 2015.
The spirit of Korea's Saemaul Undong is being felt across rural towns in Indonesia.
Since signing an MOU in August 2015 that outlines joint cooperation on regional development, Korea and Indonesia have closely collaborated on a series of rural and agricultural development policies, using Korea's Saemaul Undong, or New Community Movement, as a benchmark. This set of agricultural development policies from the 1970s and 1980s sought to increase incomes in rural communities and secure financial independence for farming communities across the country.
With similar goals for Indonesia, the Korean Saemaul Globalization Foundation has now built three model towns near Yogyakarta in central Java starting last August. Since then, the towns have gotten new wells and irrigation canals that have, in turn, improved the livelihoods of local residents.
Over the course of the past year, the Korean government has also invited Indonesian officials to Korea to partake in related leadership training sessions.
As part of the Saemaul Undong initiative to increase average incomes in rural families, a Korean educator teaches women in Yogyakarta how to make processed goods using local ingredients.
Chung Yoonkee, director general of the Regional Development Policy Bureau, gives the opening address at the 'Indonesia-Korea Knowledge Sharing Forum in Development and Empowerment of Rural Community' conference on July 19 in Jakarta.
Most recently, the "Indonesia-Korea Knowledge Sharing Forum in Development and Empowerment of Rural Community" conference was held on July 19 in Jakarta. The forum was co-hosted by the South Korean Ministry of Interior and the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development. At the event, government officials from the two nations shared case studies from the New Community Movement and discussed ways to hasten development across Indonesia's most rural areas.
Chung Yoonkee, director general of the Regional Development Policy Bureau, opened the forum with a speech that addressed the government's role in propagating the policies involved with the New Community Movement. Presentations on Korea's economic growth, implementation of rural development policies, and case studies on model towns built in Yogyakarta by the Saemaul Globalization Foundation followed. The panel also discussed the importance of financial independence as a means to ensure the sustainable development of rural communities, pointing to projects like "village owned enterprises" run by the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development.
Shim Deok-Seob, assistant minister of the local administration office, said, "The Indonesian government's high level of interest in regional development is allowing the seeds of the Saemaul Undong to be sown in fertile soil. Korea will continue to provide training modules and build model towns, working closely with Indonesia for progress and development."
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Interior, Saemaul Globalization Foundation
hlee10@korea.kr
