South Korean Presidential Adviser Meets Megawati to Discuss Korean Reunification

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s fifth president and General Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri, received a visit from South Korean presidential adviser Lee Jae-myung, Kim Soo Il, to discuss geopolitical matters including efforts for Korean reunification, at Megawati’s residence in Menteng, Jakarta, on Friday.

The dialogue took place in a warm atmosphere, especially since Prof Kim, who previously served as Indonesia’s Honorary Consul in Busan for 14 years (1993-2007), speaks Indonesian fluently.

After exchanging souvenirs, Megawati jokingly asked Prof Kim about his age.

“Now, how old are you, Prof Kim?” Megawati asked.

“I am 73 years old,” he replied.

“Still younger. I am 79,” Megawati said with a smile.

During the meeting, Megawati was accompanied by the Secretary General of the PDI-P Central Executive Board, Hasto Kristiyanto, and PDI-P Central Executive Board Chairman Rokhmin Dahuri.

Hasto explained that in the dialogue with Kim, a former South Korean Ambassador to Timor Leste, they discussed the good relations and closeness between Megawati and the leaders of North and South Korea.

In particular, over the years, at the request of both Korean leaders, Megawati has been known as a special envoy or special representative to bridge relations and promote the reunification of the two countries.

“In the meeting, it was again raised and hoped that Mrs Megawati would carry out a strategic role to encourage peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said Hasto in a written statement received by ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday.

Indonesia’s first president, Soekarno, had a unique historical role in relations with the Korean Peninsula, particularly with North Korea, as he established close friendship with its first leader, Kim Il Sung.

In fact, the Kimilsungia flower, a purple orchid given by Soekarno to Kim Il Sung as a symbol of strong historical ties between the two countries, later became North Korea’s national flower.

Hasto added that Soekarno’s closeness with North Korea continued when Megawati, as the fifth president, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2002.

Hasto elaborated that although Megawati no longer holds the presidency, her efforts towards reunification involving her continue. In fact, Megawati visited North Korea twice, in April and October 2005. During those visits, bilateral relations and efforts for Korean reunification were discussed.

“With South Korea, Mrs Megawati is also close; she was even invited to the inauguration of the South Korean president. She also received an honorary professor title from the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022. In 2015, Mrs Megawati received a doctorate from Korean Maritime University, and in 2017 from Mokpo National University. Previously, Mrs Megawati was invited and became the main speaker at the DMZ International Forum on the Peace Economy in Seoul, South Korea, in 2019. This forum discussed peace and Korean reunification,” said Prof Rokhmin.

On that occasion, Hasto explained that North Korea and South Korea share similarities as one nation, language, and culture, which were divided into two due to the Cold War.

“Therefore, what Mrs Megawati is doing is an actualisation of Bung Karno’s thoughts, who from the beginning promoted peace in Korea during the Cold War to avoid division from one nation that also has a history of resistance against colonialism,” Hasto stated.