Korea Partner in Bio-Fuel Development
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Indonesia is looking to widen its global horizon as a bio-fuel crop producer, and is eyeing Korea as a partner.
``We produce abundant palm oil, Jatropa, sugarcane and other plants'' that are raw materials for clean and pollution-free energy, Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Nicholas Tandi Dammen told The Korea Times.
``We have many Korean investors, who come to Indonesia to grow Jatropa or other crops. We'd welcome them, because we have the land and you have the technology.''
Indonesia, on which Korea relies for its natural gas and coal, has been a strong player in the production and export of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. It was a member of OPEC, a club of oil exporting countries, until last year when it became a net importer of oil.
The Southeast Asian country boasts a perfect setting for tropical crop plantations. Situated at the equator, the temperature in Indonesia averages 28 degrees Celsius all year around.
It also has enough land. The country is made up of some 17,000 islands, only 6,000 of which are inhabited. The population is around 230 million, with its land mass more than 1.9 million square kilometers.
Already, Indonesia is the world's second largest producer of palm oil.
Dammen acknowledged that much of the recent Korean investment has been in energy, and green cooperation will define the future relations of the two countries, which this year mark 36 years of diplomatic relations.
Under what the envoy described as ``excellent'' ties, the two countries have made major progress in the economic and business fields.
Indonesia has been a reliable provider of energy for Korea. In turn Korean businessmen have made steady investment in Indonesia. Personal exchanges have been notable.
Bali and other famous tourist spots have grown popular among the Korean tourists. Dammen said a total of 300,000 Koreans visited Indonesia last year.
``The figure is still relatively small,'' the envoy said, in view of the fact that the total number of Korean visitors to the ASEAN region was more than 4 million during the same period.
He said Indonesians look at Korea with admiration. Samsung and LG commodities are household names and a constant reminder of Korea's economic success, he said.
Many Indonesians learn the Korean language in order to try to get a job here. Many work to acquire working permits from the Korean government to realize their ``Korean Dream.''
Asked to comment on one Indonesian tribe's decision to adopt ``Hangeul'' as their alphabet, Dammen said the media coverage was blown out of portion.
``Language is different from letters,'' the envoy said, suggesting it is premature to conclude that the tribe had adopted the entire Korean language.
``If people of the tribe come to Korea, they will read things, but won't understand what it means,'' he said, pulling out his Blackberry and playing a song. It was a Korean song, and he started singing along, his pronunciation very good. Asked whether he knew what the lyrics meant, however, he answered ``I don't know.''
He said that's exactly what would happen to the tribe. ``It's hard to say that they know the Korean language.''
An announcement came from the Hunminjeongeum Research Institute last week that a tribe in the city of Baur and Baur in Sulawesi had signed a memorandum of understanding with the institute to adopt the Korean alphabet as their written language.
A torrent of news articles and editorial pieces ensued, welcoming as well as indicating that it was the export of the Korean language, a sign of expansion of Korean influence in the country and the region.
``The spread of Hangeul will also help enhance Korea's image as it will activate exchanges with societies that use the alphabet,'' Kim Joo-won, a professor at Seoul National University, was quoted as saying.
The envoy said he wouldn't pass judgment on whether it's good or bad, adding that Korea-Indonesia relations already have a solid foundation.