Indonesian Coffee Ready To Seize Korean Market, ITPC Busan Signs MoU With Goyang City

JAKARTA - Indonesia is increasingly breaking into the South Korean coffee market. Through the Indonesia Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Busan, the government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Goyang City Government, South Korea, to expand Indonesia's coffee distribution and marketing in Ginseng Country.

The signing of the MoU was carried out by the Head of ITPC Busan Husodo Kuncoro Yakti and the Mayor of Goyang Lee Dong-hwa, inILang, Goyang District, South Korea, Thursday, November 6, 2025.

Husodo said this collaboration was a strategic step to strengthen Indonesia's coffee position amid increasing coffee consumption for the people of South Korea. Moreover, the Goyang City Government is preparing to become a coffee distribution center in South Korea in 2028.

The increasing number of coffee consumption in South Korea every year will make the plan to establish a coffee distribution center in Goyang very helpful for coffee marketing from Indonesia. We hope that this coffee distribution center can boost Indonesia's coffee consumption in South Korea," said Husodo in an official statement, Sunday, November 9.

According to him, Indonesia is the first country collaborated with by the Goyang City Government in realizing this plan. Currently, Indonesia occupies the 13th position as a coffee supplier in South Korea.

"Indonesian coffee exporters will be able to take full advantage of the coffee distribution center owned by Goyang City. This MoU is a symbol of ITPC Busan's support and the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul to the Goyang City Government to establish a coffee distribution center," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of Economic Functions of the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul Marviana Sendi assessed that this MoU opens wider opportunities for Indonesian coffee to strengthen its market share in South Korea.

"This MoU is a good opportunity to strengthen Indonesia's position in the South Korean coffee market. In addition, this MoU is an entry point for a wider scope of cooperation with the Goyang Special City," said Marchiana.

In this collaboration, the Goyang City Government appointed Good Neighbors, a coffee organization in South Korea, as project implementer. Good Neighbors will assist and increase the capacity of human resources, as well as cooperate with ITPC Busan to promote Indonesian coffee.

As the main supplier, Good Neighbors will partner with East Enrekang Kasi Sesuai (ETH) Cooperative from South Sulawesi, which houses 796 coffee farmers.

This step is expected to strengthen the supply chain as well as introduce typical Nusantara coffee, including from South Sulawesi to the South Korean market which has grown rapidly in recent years.

In 2024, the value of non-oil and gas trade between Indonesia and South Korea will reach 20.13 billion US dollars. Of this figure, Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports were recorded at 9.12 billion US dollars, while imports reached 8.62 billion US dollars. The trade trend between the two countries also showed an increase of an average of 8.84 percent per year in the last five years.

With this synergy, Indonesian coffee is expected not only to be present in more cafes in South Korea, but also to be part of the main distribution chain in the East Asian market.