While Indonesian K-pop fans applaud Jakarta’s intention, they cite safety, venue capacity and bureaucracy as some of the key hurdles
4-MIN READ4-MINResty Woro YuniarPublished: 8:00am, 3 May 2026When 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.
“The president plans to increase the number of [K-pop] concerts for K-pop fans,” Sugiono told reporters, adding the president always aimed to “deliver something that can be felt directly by the Indonesian people” from his visits to other countries.
While the news has been met with excitement by many Indonesian K-pop fans, others are sceptical that the country is ready to become a major concert destination.
