JAKARTA (27 OCTOBER 2022) - Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini expressed her admiration for the education system in South Korea. This statement was said when she invited two professors from South Korea to give a public lecture to the employees of the Ministry of Social Affairs, at Aneka Bhakti Building, Ministry of Social Affairs Head Office, Jakarta, on Thursday (27/10).

The Minister invited Tongmyong University President Professor Chun Ho Hwan, and Secretary General of Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia-Pacific Cities Professor Kim Soo Il, to share their experiences on the development of education in South Korea. Risma said that the country has experienced rapid progress, not only in technology but also in the music and film industries due to the comprehensive education system.

"Take K-pop, for example. If we look at Korean dramas, it turns out to be a product of education," Risma said in her statement to reporters.

This spurred the former Mayor of Surabaya City to implement ginseng country-style education to improve the quality of Human Resources (HR) in the Ministry of Social Affairs. It is expected that through this education, qualified human resources can be built, thus can promote the social welfare of the community.

On that occasion, Risma asked for educators from the Ministry of Social Affairs, namely trainers and lecturers from Bandung Social Welfare Polytechnic to attend the seminar. In addition, high-level officials in the Ministry were also present.

“I said that we must have human capital that can change the condition of the nation, for the better,” she said.

According to Risma, this is a formidable challenge for educators to create agents of change who can work not only for themselves but also for the community. Therefore, Risma said that her party would study the application of technology and education in South Korea and open the possibility of cooperation between the two countries in human resource development and community empowerment.

Meanwhile, Professor Chun Ho Hwan appreciated the Minister's participation in public lectures and discussions. According to him, this showed the dedication and seriousness of the Minister’s efforts to upgrade human resources capacity in the institutions she leads. For this reason, the Professor from Busan expressed his excitement to cooperate with the Government of Indonesia, especially the Ministry of Social Affairs.

“We discussed the collaboration with the Indonesian government and its students. We want to invite them to see good technology education in Korea. So, we agreed, sooner or later, there will be officials who go to Busan to discuss it in more detail,” she said.

In line with Professor Chun, Professor Kim expressed his willingness to bridge the cooperation between these two countries. Meanwhile, in terms of the right to embody quality human resources, the man who is fluent in Indonesian Language emphasized the importance of applying the principle of equality and maintaining dignity as a public official. He believed that the Ministry of Social Affairs could make this happen under the current leadership of Minister Risma.