Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto Eyes North Korea Visit Amid Diplomatic and Domestic Challenges

While a visit could boost Indonesia’s diplomatic clout, it also threatens to raise another outcry about Prabowo’s frequent flights. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is keen to visit North Korea – a trip that could boost Jakarta’s diplomatic clout and allow it to act as a bridge between Seoul and Pyongyang. But Indonesians might not support another overseas trip, given negative public opinion of Prabowo’s frequent travels, analysts warn. Plus, he has not even been invited by the increasingly isolated North Korea. At a meeting with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce at the Presidential Palace on Friday, Prabowo said his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, had asked if he could call on the North “to open some kind of a dialogue” during his visit to Seoul in April. “I told him, with all due respect and willingness, if you asked me to, I would go,” he said. “Indonesia is seen as having no interest in meddling in other countries’ domestic affairs. We hold firm to that.” Since taking office last year, Lee has sought to ease tensions with North Korea but repeated overtures for dialogue have been rebuffed by Pyongyang, which declared its rival a “hostile nation” in 2024. Lee’s office released a statement on Saturday saying that Indonesia and other countries with friendly ties to both Koreas could help foster peaceful coexistence on the Korean peninsula.