Minister Pitches Transportation Projects to South Korea

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi met with South Korean Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Kim Hyun-mee in Jakarta today. The meeting was held following the signing of a bilateral agreement between the governments of Indonesia and South Korea at the Bogor Palace yesterday.

“Today we held a business forum with Korea to follow up on the signing of memorandum of understanding yesterday,” Budi said after the meeting.

Read: Indonesia, South Korea Strengthen Economic Ties

Budi noted that South Korea delegates earlier inspected infrastructure projects in Makassar and Kualanamu. South Korea is open to investing in Indonesia’s transportation projects, according to him.

“They will not only serve as consultants or contractors, they are also interested to invest [in the project],” he said.

Budi said that the government will offer ongoing projects, including Makassar Port, Pare-Pare Port, Kualanamu Airport and Kuala Tanjung Port. He said that the government will be offering a limited concession scheme.He expects that the agreement will attract more countries to invest in transportation projects in Indonesia.

Read: Indonesia to Sign Manufacturing Partnerships with S. Korea

“We hope that non-government funds can become a solution for development,” the Minister said.

Earlier, the governments of Indonesia and Korea signed three memorandums of understanding on industry, transportation and health in a bilateral meeting between President Joko Widodo and President Kim Jae-in at the Presidential Palace in Bogor on November 9. 

M ROSSENO AJI