Viral South Jakarta Penghulu Officiates Wedding in Three Languages, Here's the Story

The wedding of Indonesian citizen Lisa Putri Erdiyanti and South Korean national Lim Sang Beom in South Jakarta went viral after the officiant used three languages during the solemnisation ceremony. The penghulu, Muhammad Zidni Ilmi, who serves at the Setiabudi District Religious Affairs Office (KUA), led the ceremony on 4 July 2026. In a video circulating on social media, Zidni was seen greeting attendees in Korean, saying, ‘Annyeonghaseyo yeroebun. Jeon Achimnida Indonesa-e osin geoseul. Jinsimeuro hwanyeonghamnida.’ He introduced himself as the officiant from KUA Setiabudi in Korean and explained that the marriage was conducted in accordance with Islamic law. Zidni also used Indonesian and English during the ceremony, inviting guests to pray together. Zidni explained that the greeting and welcome in Korean was his personal initiative, as the couple had only requested the use of Indonesian and a little English. He stated that the Korean greeting was a gesture of respect and welcome for the groom’s family who had travelled from Korea, and also served as a way to introduce the marriage process according to Islamic law and state regulations. He added that he has previously used English, Arabic, German, Swahili, and French when officiating marriages between Indonesian citizens and foreign nationals. Before his posting in Setiabudi, Zidni served as a penghulu in Kalideres, West Jakarta, and noted that the high number of cross-nationality marriages in Setiabudi prompted him to use foreign languages more frequently.