Overview
- At a Wednesday summit in Seoul, Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Prabowo Subianto elevated the relationship to a special comprehensive strategic partnership and oversaw a package of new cooperation deals.
- The two leaders reaffirmed defense industry collaboration that includes the KF-21 fighter program and follow-on projects such as trainer aircraft, anti-tank missiles, and ammunition, with media noting talks on an initial batch of about 16 jets but no signed sale.
- Lee pressed for tighter energy and minerals supply chains to blunt Middle East war risks, highlighting Indonesia’s role in LNG and coal, with Seoul citing 820,000 tons of LNG expected from Indonesia this year.
- The governments launched new tools to drive projects, including an annual foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue and financing cooperation between Korea’s export-import bank and Indonesia’s sovereign fund.
- In parallel on Thursday, Lee told visiting U.S. House members he plans to regain wartime operational control from Washington to shoulder more of the peninsula’s defense while keeping the alliance stable.