Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's recent meeting with a K-pop idol highlighted Indonesia's growing role in the global K-pop industry, shifting from merely a market to an active participant. However, the nation's efforts to attract more K-pop concerts are reportedly being met with a chorus of doubts, as outlined by Foreign Minister Sugiono.

When Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently visited Seoul for a state visit, one of the most memorable moments was a photo that he took with a 19-year-old Indonesian K-pop idol. Nyoman Ayu Carmenita, better known as Carmen of the girl group Hearts2Hearts, symbolises Indonesia’s ascendancy in the K-pop universe: no longer just a vast market for the genre’s stars, with the country increasingly playing a part in the industry’s global growth. Foreign Minister Sugiono said on April 22 that...