Former ambassadors to Indonesia make waves in business sector

Commissioner Lee Sang-deok

A few former ambassadors to Indonesia are making significant impacts in South Korea’s business sector.

The current commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency, a full-time vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, and a full-time vice chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association have all previously served as ambassadors to Indonesia. A former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia is also now an advisor to Hyundai Motor Co.

Given that major Korean conglomerates such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG, POSCO, and Lotte have operations in Indonesia, these former ambassadors have a deep understanding of the Korean corporate sector.

According to the Overseas Koreans Agency on Tuesday, the agency will hold the inauguration ceremony for Lee Sang-deok, the second commissioner of the agency, at its office in Incheon on Wednesday. Lee served as the ambassador to Indonesia from December 2022 until recently, and actively supported the activities of Korean companies during his tenure.

He attended a completion ceremony for the Hyundai LG Indonesia Green Power (HLI Green Power) battery plant in Karawang New Industry City, a manufacturing hub located in East Jakarta of the Southeast Asian country, on July 3rd, 2024. The ceremony was also attended by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung, and LG Energy Solution Ltd. CEO Kim Dong-myung.

HLI Green Power, formed jointly by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, has been producing battery cells since April 2024. These battery cells were installed in the all-new Kona Electric, which was launched in Indonesia on July 17th.

“Lee actively communicated with Korean companies in Indonesia, contributing to exchanges between the two countries,” according to Lee Joo-han, secretary general of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN). “We have high expectations for the new commissioner, who has a deep understanding of both the business and expatriate communities.”

Lee’s immediate predecessor as ambassador, Park Tae-sung, is now the full-time vice chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association. He is leveraging his experience in Indonesia, which has the world‘s largest nickel reserves, to promote the battery industry. For his part, Kim Chang-beom, the full-time vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, served as ambassador to Indonesia and later as a global advisor for Hyundai Motor before joining the FKI in September 2023. He is helping companies expand their global capabilities, with the establishment of the Executive Council for Global Economic Affairs at the federation one way that this is being accomplished.