Chairman of the ASEM Eco-Innovation SMEs Myung Ki Sung stated that the collaboration was materialized at the 2019 ASEIC (ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center) Global Innovation Forum held here on Tuesday.
"SMEs have played an important role in the global economy and become a key driver of growth and innovation," he pointed out.
A similar forum was held in South Korea three years ago.
"Hence, we need to encourage SMEs in both Indonesia and South Korea to be more inclusive and have a more sustainable future," he noted.
According to Sung, the higher contribution of SMEs and cooperatives will boost development in a country despite SMEs still facing various obstacles, including limited resources and tight competition in markets.
Hence, he remarked that SMEs should begin to see and work on eco-innovation-based business.
Sung views Indonesia`s enormous potential as a center for innovative and environmentally-friendly SMEs.
"Indonesia and Korea have the potential to strengthen cooperation in this field, taking in account Indonesia`s vast resources and Korea`s advanced technology," he stated.
He pointed out that Vietnam, for instance, had succeeded in becoming a country capable of developing its SMEs, as it has conducted technology transfers from Korea. Hence, he expressed hope that Indonesia would be able to achieve much more.
On the same occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs Meliadi Sembiring was optimistic that the forum would be able to yield mutually beneficial collaboration.
She emphasized that the ministry was ready to support closer cooperation in a bid to promote sustainable growth of SMEs.
She added that South Korea and Indonesia will collaborate on three programs related to the development of SMEs: global innovation forum, technology exchanges, and business matching.
"Cooperation can be forged in these areas. Since a long time, we have been working together, and it is going quite well. Indonesia has numerous resources, with its population reaching 250 million, and vast marine resources from west to the east. Meanwhile, Korea has advanced technology. We can match these potentials. This is a good combination that can yield a win-win solution," he noted.
Sembiring also invited Korean delegates to visit the Smesco Building in Jakarta where leading products of each province in the country are permanently on display.
She expressed hope that the forum would further strengthen SMEs from the side of eco-innovation, so that the sector will contribute more to sustainable growth.
Reporting by Hanni Sofia
Editing by Libertina W. Ambari, Andi Abdussalam
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
