Why South Koreans in Indonesia are so well accepted, and how the community is set to continue growing
South Koreans make up one of Indonesia’s largest ethnic minorities, many of them there to study the Bahasa language; with manufacturing giants showing more interest in opening factories there, their numbers are set to keep on rising
Discussion in Indonesian media about foreigners in the country predominantly revolves around the bad behaviour of Westerners in Bali or the large number of foreign Chinese workers. It’s rare to read about the goings-on of South Koreans, however, who are one of the country’s largest expatriate communities.
The link is nothing new. Noted Indonesian anti-colonial freedom fighter Komarudin, for example, was born Yang Chil-seong in Korea, historians discovered a few years ago. By and large, however, Indonesia’s Korean community has quietly worked hard while growing larger, capitalising on the opportunities presented by Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
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The number of South Koreans in Indonesia increased from 40,000 to 46,000 between 2013 and 2016, according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, other expatriate groups were leaving Indonesia, in part because of falling commodity prices.
Kim Woo-jae set in motion the transformation of the South Jakarta subdistrict of Kebayoran Baru as the Indonesian capital’s de facto Koreatown when he opened a shop selling kimchi and doenjang (fermented soybean paste) in the area in 1982. Today, it is home to dozens of Korean restaurants. In another sign of their presence, Korean churches can be found throughout the city.
No matter where they go, Koreans will never compromise their culture, their tradition
“You don’t go to church because you’re religious. You go to church to be with Koreans,” says Victoria Lee, a South Korean national born in Indonesia after her parents migrated there in the 1970s. “No matter where they go, Koreans will never compromise their culture, their tradition,” she says.
