VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto (left), and South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Ahn Duk-geun, meet in Seoul on May 22, 2024. (Photo: ANTARA/HO-Kemenko Perekonomian)

VOINews, Jakarta: Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has sought support from the South Korean government in negotiations with the United States to open the market for Korean-made electric vehicles (EVs) produced in Indonesia.

"I am hoping for help from Korea in talking to the US to ensure the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) provides market access for products resulting from the collaboration between LG and Hyundai (in Indonesia)," he said in a statement released by his ministry on Thursday.

Hartarto met with the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy of South Korea, Ahn Duk-geun, in Seoul on Wednesday.

As reported by Antara, South Korean companies Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution have invested in Indonesia and are currently building an EV battery factory in Karawang, West Java.

Besides Hyundai and LG's investment, there are several other collaborations between Indonesia and South Korea that are already running, such as the expansion of the Lotte petrochemical factory and the construction of the Krakatau Steel-Posco steel cluster, Hartarto noted.

However, there are several cooperation agreements whose implementation still needs to be pushed, Hartarto said.

They include expanding market access for Indonesian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through South Korean e-platforms, implementing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), producing hydrogen and ammonia energy, and building hydropower plants.

Hartarto expressed hope that Minister Ahn would help strengthen industrial, trade, and energy transition cooperation between the two countries.

He also invited Ahn to the 3rd Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) meeting in Jakarta in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Ahn outlined opportunities for cooperation related to the development of nuclear power plants through the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).

The institution has developed the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology, which is designed to be safe and produce a lower carbon footprint than conventional reactors. SMR can serve as an alternative solution for supplying electrical energy, especially in remote or isolated areas.

The trade relations between Indonesia and South Korea are entering the fifth decade. Data from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs showed that the total bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$20.8 billion in 2023.//Antara/VOI

Hajj pilgrims boarding a Garuda Indonesia aircraft that will transport them to Saudi Arabia in the Adi Soemarmo Airport, Surakarta, Central Java, Thursday (May 16, 2024). Photo by: ANTARA/Harianto/nbl.

VOINews, Jakarta: The Transportation Ministry urged flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to improve its Hajj flight services following flight delays and issues that disrupted Hajj departures from several embarkation points.

As reported by Antara,The ministry's Director General of Air Transport has reprimanded the airlines in a letter dated May 17, 2024. It highlighted Garuda's failure to operate some Hajj flights due to technical issues as proof that the airline is underprepared.

"We heard complaints from residents and other stakeholders concerning Garuda Indonesia's (Hajj flights) service. We reprimanded the airlines and urged them to carry out improvements," Minister Budi Karya Sumadi noted as per the statement here on Saturday.

Garuda Indonesia should make the 2024 Hajj flight services their main priority for the time being, the minister remarked.

The ministry also instructed the flag carrier to carry out improvements to ensure the smoothness of their Hajj flight services and that the last departures could be done in a timely manner by June 10, 2024.

"We urge Garuda Indonesia to devise a mitigation plan and promptly report delay in the recovery actions they carried out for the 2024 Indonesia Hajj flight transport to the Directorate General of Air Transport," the minister stated.

The letter also highlighted the non-fatal Garuda Indonesia flight 1105 incident in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on May 15, 2024, when the Boeing 747-400 aircraft was forced to return to base (RTB) due to an issue in one of its engines upon takeoff.

To prevent further disruption in Hajj flights, the ministry called on Garuda Indonesia to ensure its aircraft's maintenance and operational readiness and improve its monitoring of the fleet's airworthiness.

"The coordination between Garuda Indonesia and the owner of charted airplanes they operate should also be improved," Sumadi emphasized.

In response to complaints about Garuda's Hajj flight performance, President Director Irfan Setiaputra earlier affirmed that his side is committed to improving its performance and addressing all issues that might disrupt flights.

"We will continue improving and prioritizing the safety and comfort of Hajj pilgrims," Setiaputra stated in his short message on Friday (May 24).//Antara

VOI News, Jakarta: The Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps is preparing its troops to participate in the 2024 Multilateral Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) Joint Training held by the United States Navy (USINDOPACOM) in Hawaii, the US.

According to a statement received on Friday from the Navy's Marine Corps Information Service, the preparations included a series of trainings at the Sutedi Senaputra Marine Corps, Karangpilang, Surabaya, East Java, for 14 days, starting from May 19 to June 1, 2024.

As reported by Antara (24/5) Commander of the Marine Task Force for the 2024 Rimpac Joint Training Major Lukman Susanto elaborated that the preparation exercise included checking on personnel and equipment readiness, deepening the material, and conducting several exercises, such as shooting and rappelling practice.

"This preparation exercise must be carried out by the task force participating in the joint training to support the 2024 Rimpac Joint Training in Hawaii next June," he noted.

The training also aims to boost the professionalism, loyalty, and combat skills of the Indonesian Navy Marine Corps soldiers, Susanto said.

In the planning for the exercise presented at a meeting at Fleet II Command Headquarters, Surabaya, last month, the Indonesian Navy prepared 43 soldiers from the Marine Corps and seven soldiers from the Frog Troop Command (Kopaska) for the 2024 Rimpac Joint Training. These troops will later join the 2024 Rimpac Task Force Joint Training led by Commander of navy ship (KRI) Raden Eddy Martadinata-331 Marine Colonel Adam Tjahja Saputra.

For this year's Rimpac Joint Training, the Indonesian Navy deployed the KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata-331, which is a warship from the Indonesian Navy's Second Fleet Command (Satkor) Eskorta Ship Unit.

On May 21, the warship conducted a firing test of the 76 Cannon in the north of Java Sea as part of the preparations.

Rimpac Joint Training is a maritime military exercise held routinely every two years by the United States Navy from the Joint Asia Pacific Defense Area Command (USINDOPACOM), stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The exercise, which was first held in 1971, usually takes place from mid-June to July.

Apart from troops from the Indonesian Navy, personnel from the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) are also prepared to join the training.

Head of Bakamla, Vice Admiral Irvansyah, shed light on the plans for Bakamla's participation in the 2024 Rimpac during his meeting with Deputy Commander of the United States Coast Guard (USGC), Admiral Steven D. Poulin, in Washington, D.C., the United States, on March 9, 2024. (Antara)

VOInews, Jakarta: In order to increase the capacity of local MSMEs in the export market, the Malang Customs Office pioneered the Export Clinic programme. The programme is an assistance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have export potential in their working areas so that they can go international.

Malang Customs Extension and Information Services Section Head Dwi Prasetyo Rini revealed that the Export Clinic is a programme initiated by Customs to assist entrepreneurs who wish to carry out export activities. The Export Clinic is a consultation medium between service users and Customs employees for export activities. "In addition to providing socialisation on export procedures, we also coordinate with relevant ministries or institutions and regional agencies to support the empowerment of MSMEs," said Dwi, quoted from the beacukai.go.id page in Jakarta, Thursday (23/5/2024).

Dwi revealed that during the week, Malang Customs intensively assisted MSME players in the Greater Malang area. The assistance team visited the Sustainable Food Innovation MSME on Wednesday (15/5) and CV Kusuma Wijaya Plants on Friday (17/5). "In addition to conducting visits to MSME players, we also fulfilled the invitation of the Malang City Cooperative Industry and Trade Office to provide export socialisation for MSMEs," said Dwi.

The export socialisation was held at Hotel Montana, Malang, on Tuesday (21/05). In the socialisation entitled "Trade Mission for Leading Export Products", Malang Customs explained the potential and procedures for starting exports for MSMEs.