Rano Invites Seoul Vice Mayor to Jakarta's 500th Anniversary Celebration

Jakarta Vice Governor Rano Karno invited Seoul Vice Mayor Jeong Sang-hun to attend Jakarta's 500th anniversary celebrations in 2027 during a meeting at the Seoul Metropolitan Government Building on Tuesday (10/6).

Jakarta and Seoul share many similarities as major cities in Asia

Rano said Jakarta wants to make its 500th anniversary more than just a celebration for Jakartans, but also an opportunity to bring Jakarta together with sister cities from around the world.

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Among Rano's proposals was an international football tournament involving clubs from Jakarta's sister cities, including FC Seoul, which he hopes will come to Jakarta for the city's 500th anniversary celebrations.

During the meeting, Rano also outlined several areas of potential cooperation, ranging from education and human resource development to urban development and design, as well as the creative economy.

"Jakarta and Seoul share many similarities as major cities in Asia. Both are important economic centers with strong creative industries and growing ambitions to strengthen their positions as global cities," he said.

Rano said Jakarta is particularly interested in learning from Seoul's experience in developing the city while preserving its cultural identity.

"As Jakarta transforms into a global city, we see opportunities to exchange knowledge on public spaces, urban design, and efforts to create a more livable city," he added.

Culture and the creative economy were also among the areas highlighted during the meeting.

With his extensive background in film and culture, Rano said South Korea's success in bringing music, films, dramas, fashion, culinary products, and other creative products to global markets offers valuable lessons for Jakarta.

Seoul's experience in developing Seongsu-dong as an urban creative district was also discussed. Jakarta sees the model as a reference for creating spaces that bring together communities, creative industry players, young people, artists, businesses, and urban life.

The discussion also turned to education, another area where Jakarta and Seoul see opportunities for cooperation.

Rano said the Jakarta Provincial Government plans to launch an overseas education scholarship program in 2027 based on a scheme similar to LPDP, which will be known as LPDP Jakarta.

During the meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Rano opened up opportunities for cooperation that could connect Jakarta students with leading universities in Seoul and South Korea.

"We would be happy to explore opportunities to connect this program with leading universities in Seoul," he said.

According to Rano, studying in South Korea would be about more than earning an academic degree.

Jakarta students are expected to experience firsthand life in a country that has developed strong capabilities in technology, creative industries, innovation, and culture.

In this way, the Jakarta-Seoul sister-city relationship would extend beyond government institutions to universities, students, researchers, creative communities, artists, businesses, and young people in both cities.

Meanwhile, Seoul Vice Mayor Jeong Sang-hun welcomed the cooperation ideas proposed by Rano, noting that Jakarta also has valuable experience to share, particularly in managing a city with a large population, high population density, and millions of people on the move every day.

With a population of about 11 million, Jakarta is also at the heart of a metropolitan area with more than 42 million people.

According to Jeong, this scale has given Jakarta valuable experience in managing the complexities of a megacity. Seoul therefore hopes not only to share its own experience but also to learn from how Jakarta addresses challenges related to population density, mobility, public services, and urban development.

Jeong also welcomed the invitation for FC Seoul to take part in the football match and expressed hope that he could visit Jakarta to witness the city's 500th anniversary celebrations in 2027.