South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held talks on Saturday, discussing defense industry cooperation, including a joint project to develop the KF-21 fighter jet.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Lee said South Korea and Indonesia have developed close ties not only in trade and investment but also in security and defense, expressing hope for deeper cooperation, in particular the KF-21 fighter jet project.
“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 said.
“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,” he said.
Subianto said his government is open to greater participation by Korean companies and expressed hope to continue defense cooperation, noting that follow-up talks on the KF-21 project will proceed.
The Indonesian president added that related discussions are under way between the two governments and engineers on the project’s economic feasibility, including pricing and funding plans.
In June, South Korea and Indonesia finalized a deal to reduce Jakarta’s financial contribution to the KF-21 project to 600 billion won (US$443 million) — about one-third of the original amount. The project, launched in 2015, aims to develop an advanced supersonic fighter jet.