KOREA FOUNDATION

INTERVIEW

Indonesian Economy On the Rise YouTuber ASEANPATH(Cho Ijun)

We can learn from both books and videos, but sometimes it’s easier and more fun to incorporate visual media, rather than only relying on text. In recent years, many professionals are also active as YouTubers, allowing us to acquire knowledge on a variety of subjects through the platform. We had a chance to talk to one such YouTuber, ASEANPATH, who introduces Indonesia’s economy and culture.

Hello! Please say hello to the readers of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly.

Hello. I’m Cho Ijun, and I am running the YouTube channel ASEANPATH, where I talk about the Indonesian economy. The reason I started ASEANPATH was because I wanted to inform more Korean people about Indonesia, not just a small number of institutional investors. I mainly cover stories such as economics, policy, news, start-ups, and stocks.

Among all of the ASEAN countries, what made you pay attention to Indonesia?

Largely, it can be divided into three reasons. First, Indonesia has the world’s fourth-largest population. In other words, it has a huge domestic market. Second, Indonesia is a resource powerhouse, with rich reserves of natural resources. It is leading the world in reserves and production of nickel, a key raw material for electric vehicle batteries. This has led to increasing investment in Indonesia by global companies. Lastly, along with highways, industrial parks have been created all over cities in recent years. With the establishment of industrial parks, new jobs and added value began to be created, attracting even more foreign investment. If there is a situation in my life where I have to choose one of the ASEAN countries again, I will choose Indonesia without hesitation.

I heard there was a fun episode while working in Indonesia.

More than 80 percent of Indonesia’s total population is Muslim, and most companies and buildings are equipped with prayer facilities. At 3:00pm, the staff would go to the prayer room. In response, I proposed changing the manufacturing production schedule from 8:00am~5:00pm to 6:00am~3:00pm We killed two birds with one stone because this increases the efficiency of the company’s production by planning the schedule around employees’ prayer time. Due to changes in work hours, everyone was able to have a pleasant experience.

Finally, a word to the readers of the ASEAN Culture House Monthly, please.

My dream is to become a hub that connects Korea and Indonesia. I believe that the two countries will be able to build off each other’s success through steady cooperation. In the future, I plan to continue sharing a variety of content through ASEANPATH to help Korean companies, start-ups, and the young generation understand and care more about Indonesia. If you are curious about Indonesia, please come find our channel at any time!