Indonesian leader says he's open to visiting North Korea at Lee Jae Myung’s request

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said President Lee Jae Myung had asked him to visit North Korea to help open dialogue, and that he was willing to do so.

“During my last visit to South Korea, their president asked me if I could visit North Korea to open some kind of a dialogue,” Prabowo said at a meeting with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the presidential palace on Friday, according to a translation provided by Reuters.

“I told him, with all due respect and willingness, if you asked me to, I would go,” he said.

Prabowo made a state visit to South Korea in April.

He said Indonesia’s longstanding policy of noninterference could allow it to help facilitate talks. 

The Southeast Asian country has long pursued a nonaligned foreign policy and maintained relations with Western countries as well as China and Russia. After war broke out between the United States and Iran in late February, Indonesia offered to act as a mediator, saying Prabowo would be willing to visit Iran's capital, Tehran, if both sides agreed.

“Indonesia is seen as having no interest in meddling in other countries’ domestic affairs. We hold firm to that,” Prabowo said.

He added that Indonesia would seek to improve relations and promote reconciliation among neighboring countries and was trying to find a way to initiate dialogue.

An official from South Korea’s presidential office said, "The government believes that countries with friendly relations with both South and North Korea, including Indonesia, can play a constructive role in achieving peaceful co-existence on the Korean Peninsula."

“We have continued to explore ways to cooperate toward that goal," the official added.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]