Indonesia and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will establish cooperation on a biotechnology initiative involving the conversion of seaweed into environmentally friendly energy, said an Indonesian senior official.
"We wish to develop a type of biotechnology that utilizes seaweed for energy," said the Maritime and Fishery Ministry Secretary General Widi Agoes Pratikto quoted by the Jakarta Post on Sunday.
He added that Indonesia, as an archipelago, was blessed with immense natural maritime resources potentially convertible into renewable energy, while ROK happened to have the technology to convert seaweed into energy.
Pratikto said that the initiative would be followed by other forms of cooperation such as in fish-product processing and fish cultivation.
Meanwhile, the President of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Kyoung-Hoan Na said ROK's decision to select Indonesia as a partner was due to certain factors. "Indonesia has the natural and human resources, while we bring the technology," he said.