South Korea’s Yoon meets Indonesian leader to deepen economic, defense ties

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has met with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, to deepen economic ties and defense cooperation amid heightened global geopolitical tensions. Yoon has been in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, for the three-day summit by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations along with Asian and Western counterparts. That meeting spotlighted major conflicts in Asia with calls for peaceful resolutions and restraint. The two leaders agreed to deepen their strategic partnership in the security and defense industries and to expand cooperation in future-looking industries such as electric vehicles, batteries and smart cities. Southeast Asia’s largest economy has imported a total of $4.3 billion in South Korean arms.