President Moon Jae-in has remarked on the growing Seoul-Jakarta ties and expressed hopes that the two Asian nations will will further advance their partnership in the defense sector and in other areas. 

According to the presidential office on Thursday, Moon made the remark when Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto paid a visit to him earlier in the day. 

The Indonesian minister has been visiting South Korea since Wednesday to attend the rollout ceremony showcasing a prototype of KF-X, South Korea’s first indigenous fighter jet. 

South Korea and Indonesia are pushing for a joint project under which they will  jointly develop and produce KF-X by 2026. 

During the meeting, Moon said the joint project is indicative of the heightened level of trust and cooperation between the two countries and also noted the Indonesian minister’s visit as a show of Jakarta's commitment to its defense industry cooperation with Seoul. 

He said South Korea places great emphasis on its relations with Indonesia and will further develop their special bilateral and strategic partnership through Seoul’s New Southern Policy.