By Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto discussed expanding defense cooperation during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, southeastern South Korea, Yonhap reported Saturday.
Lee underlined the strong ties between the two countries, saying: "We have maintained a very deep and advanced cooperative relationship not only in areas such as trade and investment, but also in security and defense, and I hope this close partnership will continue to grow in the future.”
He added: “In particular, we have built a strong partnership in the military and security sector, including joint fighter jet development, and I hope that by continuing this cooperation, we will see even greater results in the years ahead.”
Lee expressed optimism about expanding the partnership, especially through joint initiatives such as the KF-21 fighter jet development project.
Prabowo said his administration welcomes greater participation from South Korean companies and remains committed to strengthening defense cooperation, noting that further discussions on the KF-21 project will follow.
In June, South Korea and Indonesia agreed to reduce Jakarta’s financial contribution to the project to 600 billion South Korean won ($443 million), about one-third of the original amount.
Launched in 2015, the KF-21 program aims to develop a next-generation supersonic fighter jet to enhance both nations’ defense capabilities.