TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia received 300 disinfectant sprayers from South Korea to help stem the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.

South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Kim Chang Beom symbolically handed over the humanitarian aid to Harmensyah, general secretary of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as the coordinator of the COVID-19 Response Task Force in Indonesia, at the BNPB building in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"On behalf of the Indonesian government, task force, and the entire Indonesian nation, we express our great gratitude (to the South Korean government) for the assistance and close cooperation with Indonesia. May this assistance be helpful in our efforts to fight COVID-19. We will soon distribute it to the people in need," Harmensyah stated.

He affirmed that the Indonesian government is still open to receiving assistance in the form of protective gear and ventilators.

"This assistance will be immensely helpful for the Indonesian government to handle the COVID-19 pandemic quickly," he noted.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Kim Chang Beom echoed the South Korean government’s keenness to extend the humanitarian aid to Indonesia as a symbol of strategic partnership.

Indonesia and Korea are genuine and like-minded friends, he noted.

Kim highlighted the South Korean government’s full commitment to offering varied forms of assistance worth US$500 thousand to Indonesia.

The ambassador had earlier stressed that the special strategic partnership was the reason behind his country prioritizing Indonesia to receive humanitarian aid and medical equipment to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

The two nations enjoy close and unique relations, specifically a special strategic partnership. Indonesia is the only country among the 10 ASEAN member states to have established relations with South Korea, Kim stated during a videoconference that covered Korea’s mechanism in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis in Jakarta on Monday.

The special strategic partnership mirrors the sound relations between both nations. Hence, South Korea has placed Indonesia on the list of priority countries to share its experiences and knowledge gained in dealing with the virus.

ANTARA