Why Indonesia Became My Next Frontier

I did not come to Indonesia because I already knew the country well.

In fact, it was almost the opposite.

Before coming here, the Indonesia I knew was mostly Jakarta, Bali, and Palembang — the last one because I remembered it from the Asian Games.

For many Koreans, Bali is probably much more familiar than Indonesia itself.

Jakarta may be the capital, but Indonesia still feels surprisingly distant from everyday Korean awareness.

And that was part of what interested me.

Indonesia has one of the largest populations in the world. The World Bank estimates its population at about 285.7 million in 2025, while the economy grew by about 5.1% that year.

For me, those numbers suggested something bigger than just market size.

They suggested momentum.

Coming from Korea, I naturally think about the period from the late 1990s into the 2000s, when industries, cities, consumer markets, and lifestyles were changing very quickly.

I do not know whether Indonesia will follow anything like the same path.

But I wanted to see for myself whether a similar sense of acceleration exists here.

Before arriving, my image of Indonesia was simple.

A hot country.

Heavy traffic.

Bali.

A huge population.

That was about it.

After spending time here, the picture has already become more complicated.

The air quality in Jakarta is worse than I expected.

The country feels extremely young.

On the streets, in malls, in cafés, in fitness centers, and at events, young people seem to dominate everyday life.

I also find myself thinking about areas such as climate technology, urban infrastructure, mobility, and environmental policy — not because I came here to study those industries, but because they become difficult to ignore once you start living here.

This is exactly why I wanted to come in person.

Indonesia was not chosen because I had all the answers.

It was chosen because it was large enough, young enough, and dynamic enough to make me curious.

My professional background is in fitness, wellness, business operations, marketing, and physical spaces.

So naturally, much of what I observe here begins from those fields.

But I do not want Frontier Bigdaddy to become a site that only talks about business opportunities.

I want to understand the people first.

How they live.

What they value.

How they exercise.

How they work.

What they buy.

What they are curious about Korea.

And what Koreans misunderstand — or simply do not know — about Indonesia.

For me, Indonesia is not just another country on a business expansion map.

It is the place where this next chapter begins.

And right now, I still have far more questions than answers.

That is probably the best place to start.