Choi, South Korea's pioneer in RI

Choi, South Korea's pioneer in RI

Johannes Simbolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia and South Korea were technically enemies in the late
1950s as the country, ruled under then founding father Sukarno,
had political ties with the communist North Korea rather than
South Korea which was said to be -- according to Sukarno -- an
American puppet.

However, in 1960s a business delegation from South Korea
arrived in the country, heralding the beginning of a brisk and
intense business and trade relationship that exists til today.

Apart from the unquestionable destiny penned by God, it was
businessman Choi Gye Wol, then aged 46, who helped to make the
extraordinary visit happen. He was then chairman of the Korean
Development Company (Kodeco) Group.

Choi never dreamed that the trade and business relations
between the two nations would become as strong as they are now:
South Korea is one of the largest foreign investors in Indonesia
with a total investment of US$9.5 billion and the annual trade
between both nations reaching $7.9 billion annually.

When he met with The Jakarta Post recently in a hotel in
Jakarta, Choi, now 86, with white hair, looks like an old and
wise monk who has had a tranquil life in seclusion, rather than
as a pioneering businessman.

"God has guided me to do unbelievable things. Without His
help, I would not have been able to do all these things."

He reminisced about how he got to know Indonesia. He said he
was in Tokyo in 1951, where he had a broad range of acquaintances
within the Japanese political elite. Those contacts helped in his
business deals, including the monopoly rights to distribute
garments to the Japanese market.

One of his Japanese colleagues, Funada Nada, the then speaker
of Japan's parliament, asked him to entertain several visiting
leaders from West Papua New Guinea (now West Papua or Irian
Jaya), saying he did not have time to take care of them.

As a friend, Choi accepted the request and agreed to pamper
the Papuans during their stay in Japan (they stayed in the posh
New Japan hotel) to accomplish their political mission. West
Papua New Guinea was then under Dutch colonial rule.

He asked the Papuans to choose either to become independent,
remain under the Dutch government or join Indonesia.

It was such a tough decision that even after six months, the
Papuan leaders had not reached a decision, while Choi had been
running out of cash.

However, funds totaling US$300,000 (now valued at about $5
million) were donated by a banker after Funada called a meeting
of several high-ranking Japanese officials. The money would be
used to cover his living expenses for another three years.

Over the period, Choi managed to push the Papuans to decide on
the fate of their homeland.

"I let them make the decision. Each option was fine with me
because I did not have any vested interests in the country. I was
only interested in helping my Japanese friends.

"They finally decided to join Indonesia," Choi recalled.

As he didn't know where the Indonesian embassy in Tokyo was,
Choi could only contact an Indonesian official named Bambang. He
told him about his Papuan friends. Bambang quickly sent them to
Jakarta to meet Sukarno.

Years went by, Choi started to forget Indonesia until one day
in November 1962, one of the Papuan leaders, who he identified as
Wanma, contacted him and said he was in Tokyo as part of the
entourage of Sukarno's state visit.

"'Sukarno wants to meet you. Don't you want to meet him?' he
asked. I said to him 'What for? I am a businessman. He is a
politician. Furthermore, Indonesia and South Korea have no
relationship'," Choi recalled.

However, Choi later changed his mind. At that time, South
Korea's Prime Minister Kim Joing Pil was in Tokyo on his way back
from Washington to Seoul.

The trip to Washington was a political debacle for President
Park Chung Hee, who took power in South Korea following a coup a
year earlier. Park sent Kim to Washington to gain the U.S.
acknowledgement of his government. However, President John. F.
Kennedy refused to meet him.

"South Korea was then so lonely, politically. The U.S. did not
accept them and they were also not part of the third world
nations club formed by the Bandung Asia-Africa conference," Choi
said.

South Korea's rival, the communist North Korea was part of the
that historical conference.

An official at the South Korean embassy informed Choi about
Kim's presence in Japan. Choi then proposed to arrange a meeting
between Kim and Sukarno, arguing that if Sukarno, the leader of
the Bandung conference, accepted Kim, Park's government would
automatically be acknowledged by all third world nations, which
took part in the Bandung conference.

Kim, together with Choi, then met Sukarno at the Imperial
Hotel in Tokyo.

Kim diplomatically told Sukarno that Choi wanted to do
business in Indonesia, but the obstacle was that there was no
political relationship between the two nations.

"Sukarno said 'No problem. Business first, then political
relations'," Choi recalled.

That was the start of the political and business relationship
between both nations.

Emboldened by the successful meeting between Kim and Sukarno,
in March 1963, Park sent an official delegation comprising
several high-ranking officials and Choi to Indonesia to look for
logging business opportunities.

On the direct order of Park, South Korea's central bank
provided Choi with a $4.1 million loan to start business in
Indonesia.

"At that time, South Korea was a poor country with the central
bank holding only $43 million in foreign exchange reserves," Choi
said.

Now, Kodeco has become a giant business group here. Its
logging business in Kalimantan and Papua, which prospered in the
past, has been hard hit by illegal logging activities, while its
oil unit, which for many years failed to find hydrocarbon
resources, recently found significant gas reserves off of Madura
island.

For many, the firm might be less known compared to other South
Korean firms, such as Samsung, LG or Hyundai, which have become
global brands. But, Choi is the man who opened the road for all
of them to enter this archipelago. For all he has done, we need
to say, "Kamsa Hamida (Thank you) Mr. Choi."