North Korea's foreign minister visits Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia's outgoing president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will receive North Korea's foreign affairs minister Lee Su-young at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 13.

Lee arrived in the Indonesian capital on Tuesday evening, August 12.

Indonesia's foreign affairs minister Marty Natalegawa said the visit aims to introduce Lee as North Korea's new foreign affairs minister.

"(The two leaders) may also discuss on bilateral issues," Natalegawa said, state news agency Antara reported.

Lawmaker Susaningtyas Nefo Handayani Kertapati said Indonesia can benefit from the visit to benchmark its defense system.

"North Korea can be our counterpart to balance Indonesia's diplomacy," she said.

Indonesia is one of few countries in the world with long-standing ties with North Korea. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1961, and North Korean leader Kim Il-sung visited Jakarta four years later.

Indonesia, a country where Islam, democracy and modernity go hand in hand, has kept its good relationship with North Korea, a country perceived as the world’s most secretive regime for continuing to develop its nuclear weapons.

Indonesians in general have a positive view of North Korea. A survey by BBC in 2013 showed 42% of Indonesians hold a positive view of the east Asian country. It was the second highest after Ghana, 48%.

In the economic sector, the relation of two countries are positive, with bilateral trade growing "more than 45%" when Natalegawa visited North Korea in 2013.

Previously, on May 2012, Yudhoyono met Kim Yong Nam, the second highest ranking official in North Korea's government, where the two agreed to increase the cooperation in economic and political sectors. – With reports from L Cui San, Zul Sikumbang/Rappler.com