Korea confers Gwanghwa Medal on Indonesian official

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Magdalena Krisnawati
Photos = Magdalena Krisnawati and Korean Embassy in Jakarta

The government of Korea has bestowed  an Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, the Gwanghwa Medal, on the Head of the Indonesia Creative Economy Agency, Triawan Munaf.  

Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Cho Tai-young officially pinned the medal on Munaf in a ceremony held at the Korean Embassy in Jakarta on May 17. In the ceremony, Munaf was accompanied by his family, included his daughter Sherina Munaf, a well–known musician and singer.

The Korean ambassador said that the Gwanghwa Medal is the highest diplomatic medal given by the Korean government to a non-Korean who is considered to have been meritorious in improving the bilateral relationship between Korea and the other country.

“This medal is an acknowledgment of the contribution of that Triawan Munaf, the chairman of  the Indonesia  Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf), has made to further strengthening the better relationship between Indonesia and Korea,” Ambassador Cho said.

“It's also proof that the Korean government attaches great importance to its relationship with Indonesia. I expect that Triawan Munaf will make further efforts to promote a better relationship between our two countries.”

As for Munaf himself, he said that he is very thankful and that he feels honored to receive the medal.  “This medal will encourage me and  everyone at the Bekraf to do more to bring forward our two countries through cooperation and collaboration in terms of the creative economy, industry, trade and investment,” Munaf said.

Munaf has also been appointed as a liaison officer for the Indonesia-Korea relationship by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. There is quite a lot of Korean investment in Indonesia and there are still some obstacles in terms of day-to-day functioning. “It’s my duty to find solutions and to open opportunities to both countries in doing business," he said.

So far, Munaf has successfully  signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Korea and Indonesia government s in the creative industry sector. He has also enhanced cooperation in many other sectors , such as film, publishing, broadcasting and  various creative content industries. Munaf also supports many Korean companies to promote and invest in Indonesia, ever since 2015.

Korea and Indonesia officially started their modern diplomatic relationship in 1973. The governments of both countries have agreed to the establishment of a  strategic partnership in 2006. Today, Korea is the fifth largest trading partner  in Indonesia, and Indonesia is the 12th largest trading partner for Korea.

wisdom117@korea.net 

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