Showing posts with label Korea. Show all posts

Pengalaman Mengurus Visa Jepang & Korea

こんにちは. 안녕하세요. Memperoleh visa Jepang dan Korea merupakan langkah penting bagi siapa saja yang ingin mengunjungi kedua negara Asia Timur tersebut. Namun, tidak semua orang tahu bagaimana cara mengurus visa Jepang dengan paspor biasa ataupun mengurus visa Korea secara mandiri.

Dalam artikel ini saya akan berbagi pengalaman saya dalam membuat visa kunjungan wisata berkali-kali (multiple-entry holiday visa) sebagai salah satu persiapan saya untuk mengikuti Tokyo Marathon 2023 dan Seoul Marathon 2023.


Medali Tokyo Marathon & Seoul Marathon


Visa Jepang

Ada beberapa hal yang perlu dipersiapkan sebagai syarat pembuatan visa multiple-entry ke Jepang, yaitu:

  1. Email konfirmasi appointment – lalu datang ke VFS di Kuningan City Mall, Jakarta, sesuai dengan janji temu yang kita buat di website VFS.
  2. Paspor – yang masih berlaku minimal 6 bulan.
  3. Formulir pengajuan visa – diunduh dari website VFS (application-form-2023.pdf) dan harus bertandatangan basah.
  4. Pas foto – ukuran 3,5 cm x 4,5 cm terbaru, dalam kurun waktu kurang dari 6 bulan, latar belakang warna putih.
  5. Fotokopi KTP.
  6. Histori transaksi rekening (bank statements) selama 3 bulan terakhir – sebaiknya ada pemasukan rutin ke rekening tersebut dan memiliki saldo minimal sebesar biaya hidup selama tinggal di Jepang. Contoh: dengan asumsi rata-rata biaya liburan di Jepang adalah $115 per hari, maka untuk satu minggu liburan, kita perlu memiliki saldo minimal 7 x $115 = $805 = Rp 12 juta.
  7. Surat keterangan kerja – dengan kop surat yang tertulis nama perusahaan, alamat, website, email, dan nomor telepon. Nama orang yang mengajukan visa ditulis secara lengkap beserta dengan kebangsaan, nomor paspor, tanggal masuk perusahaan, jabatan, dan besar gaji bulanan/tahunan. Sertakan juga nama pembuat surat keterangan kerja tersebut, beserta dengan jabatan (misalnya HR Manager), email, dan nomor telepon. Ada tanda tangan basah dan cap stempel perusahaan.
  8. Surat permohonan visa multiple – dengan alasan yang jelas mengapa perlu datang ke Jepang lebih dari satu kali. Untuk pengalaman saya pribadi, saya butuh masuk ke Jepang sebanyak 2 kali karena ada dua agenda yang waktunya tidak bersamaan, yaitu Tokyo Marathon dan festival sakura.
  9. Rencana perjalanan – tuliskan tempat wisata mana saja yang mau dikunjungi beserta di mana akan bermalam di kota tersebut.
  10. [Optional] Tiket pesawat – kalau yakin visa akan disetujui, bisa langsung pesan yang non-refundable supaya lebih hemat.
  11. [Optional] Bukti pemesanan hotel – bisa pakai receipt dari Booking.com yang masih refundable, jadi ketika nanti ada perubahan rencana, kita masih bisa gampang pindah hotel.
  12. [Optional] Paspor lama – yang memiliki stiker visa Jepang, visa Schengen (Jerman, Prancis, Italia), atau visa UK / US / Kanada.
  13. Biaya visa (Rp 650.000) + biaya admin VFS (Rp 182.000) = Rp 832.000 – bisa dibayar dengan kartu kredit/debit.
  14. Waktu proses sekitar 5 hari kerja – hari pertama dihitung saat pengajuan visa. Saya masukkan berkas pada hari Rabu (25 Januari) dan paspor bisa diambil pada hari Selasa (31 Januari).


Jika Anda sudah memiliki e-paspor, syarat-syarat di atas jadi sama sekali tidak diperlukan karena sudah bebas visa, dan hanya perlu mempersiapkan:

  1. E-Paspor – yang masih berlaku minimal 6 bulan.
  2. Buat akun di website Japan Visa Exemption System (JAVES) – lalu ikuti prosedur pengajuan Registrasi Pra-keberangkatan E-Paspor secara online.


FYI, pengajuan visa multiple-entry saya ternyata ditolak Kedutaan Jepang karena saya sama sekali belum pernah berkunjung ke Jepang dan histori visa Schengen (Jerman) saya sudah lebih dari 3 tahun yang lalu. Namun, saya tetap mendapatkan visa double-entry yang mana masih sesuai dengan rencana perjalanan, tiket penerbangan, dan hotel saya.

Young ICT Leaders' Forum 2015

On 9-11 December 2015, Busan Metropolitan City jointly with the Korea National Information Society Agency and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized the Young ICT Leaders' Forum 2015. The goal of this forum was to present a community to youth from around the world whereby they could share ideas and innovative concepts for the advancement of future IoT industry. It was also aimed to offer a strong networking opportunity between participants and the industry, so that it created potential positive social contribution to the local community.

International Participants of Young ICT Leaders' Forum 2015

The forum was for invitation-only, where the participants were between 18-30 years old, from government sector, private sector, academia or R&D organizations, and have work responsibilities related with modern ICT convergences. The committee selected the participants based on submitted CV and application forms. Thank God, I was selected as one of 50 international participants invited by ITU ;)

Young ICT Leader's Forum 2015 at Busan

On the first day of the conference, we learned about how serious Korean government improving their nation-wide economic performance through ICT. The government has an initiative called "Creative Economy Vitamin Project" which seek to promote the integration of information technology with conventional industries such as agriculture, livestock, fisheries, food, culture, tourism, healthcare, etc.



We also learned the development progress of ICT convergences in various sectors, such as fisheries, maritime, automotive, electricity, home appliances, healthcare, and manufacturing.

My Year in Review: 2013

“There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” ― Bill Watterson


If I had to sum up 2013 in two words, they’d be "awesomely hectic!" And when I say hectic, I mean the kind that makes you wonder if sleep is just a mythical creature from ancient textbooks. Most of my year, surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly for anyone who knows me), was spent… studying! Yes, you heard that right.


As I mumbled in a previous year-in-review (back when my Bahasa was doing more heavy lifting), I’d snagged an MBA scholarship from KAIST. Me, the Computer Science guy, diving headfirst into the deep end of business. My goal for 2013 was simple, if a little ambitious: soak up as much knowledge as humanly possible from this intensive one-year MBA. Little did I know, this noble pursuit would demand a rather significant sacrifice from my life balance. My sleep schedule became a tragic comedy, and my social life? Let's just say it went on a prolonged sabbatical. But hey, looking back, it was only by some divine guidance and protection that I not only survived but actually thrived (mostly) in a foreign land. A testament to sheer stubbornness, perhaps, and a whole lot of grace.


KAIST Information & Media MBA 2013



January: A Winter Wonderland

안녕하세요! So there I was, a fresh-faced Indonesian in Seoul, bracing myself for the first winter of my life. And boy, did it deliver! We’re talking a bone-chilling -16.5°C. I remember the air stinging my face, each breath turning into a visible cloud, and wondering if my toes would ever truly thaw. I'd arrived in late 2012, spent New Year's Eve doing "nothing" (which, when you’re in a new city with new friends, is actually everything) around Gwanghwamun, and then hopped on a bus to Nami Island – you know, that famously picturesque spot from Winter Sonata. It was breathtaking, even if my hands were numb from trying to snap photos.


The real fun, or rather, the "pre-academic event," kicked off right after: new student orientation. Walking into that room, I was surrounded by brilliant minds. Managers from big corporations, folks with years of experience under their belts. I felt a tiny flutter of imposter syndrome, but mostly, it was just inspiring. This program was clearly going to be a masterclass in learning from the best. Our short, four-week semester plunged us into IT Strategy & Management, Media Economics, and Business Presentation. It started innocently enough, but then came exam week. Sleep? Showers? Those became luxuries only spoken of in whispered legends. (Though, in my defense, it was very cold winter!). Yet, despite the academic acrobatics, the toughest part wasn’t the schoolwork; it was the quiet ache of missing loved ones far away.

Winter Trip #WowKorea

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire."
― Edith Sitwell

Winter came earlier in Korea this year. I remember that Nov 18 was the first snowfall this year. Although it's not my first winter, I was still very excited for the snowfall experience, maybe because I came from a tropical country, Indonesia. The soft snowflakes were like kisses from heaven, cooling down my head that heated by all school assignments.

Winter at Gangwon Province, South Korea

Last Friday, Dec 13, finally I was able to join a trip organized by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). It was the day after I had a 5-hour in-class exam (Yes! 5-hour exam till 10pm, but still I could't finish well for the last question, haha!!). So, the trip was really refreshing for me ^^. We went to Yongpyong Resort, one of the best ski resorts in Korea, located in Gangwon province. I went there by shuttle bus from Jamsil at 6.10am (first departure). You should book the shuttle bus in advanced because many people are going there during the winter season. Anyway, you should use Internet Explorer and read Korean to book the ticket ^^'. It took 3 hours to get to Yongpyong, long enough to continue paying my sleep debt.

Seoul was cold. Yongpyong was even colder.

Yongpyong Ski Resort (용평 리조트 스키장) is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Korea. It is going to be one of few venues in 2018 Winter Olympics, the biggest winter multi-sport event. Yongpyong has 28 ski slopes and it is suitable for various level of skiers, from beginners to experts. Among those 28 slopes, the famous one is probably Rainbow. Rainbow slope is the highest course (around 1,210 meters) and also the longest one (around 5,600 meters). However, if you're a beginner like me, you can try the Mega Green slope, which is only 700 meters long, quite wide and not that steep (only 12 degree).

Knowledge for Society: Mengintegrasikan Nilai Ekonomi dan Sosial

Pada Juli 2013, komunitas pelajar Indonesia di Korea Selatan berkumpul di kampus KAIST, Daejeon, untuk menghadiri CISAK (Conference of Indonesian Students Association in Korea) keenam. Dengan tema "Empowering National Pride through Knowledge Collaboration", konferensi ini menjadi wadah bagi para peneliti muda untuk memaparkan inovasi mereka di berbagai klaster—mulai dari teknologi informasi hingga pertanian. Selain paparan riset, konferensi ini menghadirkan dua figur pemimpin inspiratif: Ridwan Kamil (arsitek dan pendidik) serta Ilham Akbar Habibie (tokoh industri dirgantara).


CISAK 2013 - Daejeon, 7 Juli 2013


Insight Utama: Creativity for Society

Sesi yang paling membekas bagi saya adalah keynote speech dari Ridwan Kamil bertajuk "Creativity for Society". Saya telah mengikuti pemikiran beliau sejak TEDxJakarta 2010 sebagai sosok akademisi yang mampu mengeksekusi karya nyata di tengah masyarakat. Dalam paparannya di CISAK, beliau mendemonstrasikan bagaimana kolaborasi kreatif lintas komunitas dapat membawa perubahan konkret bagi sebuah kota, bahkan sebelum beliau menjabat di pemerintahan. Pesan intinya sangat jelas: ilmu dan kreativitas mencapai nilai tertingginya ketika diaplikasikan untuk memecahkan masalah nyata di masyarakat.



Refleksi Strategis: Persimpangan Profitabilitas dan Dampak

Sejak menempuh pendidikan bisnis di KAIST, sudut pandang saya terhadap inovasi mengalami evolusi. Setiap kali melihat riset atau teknologi baru, insting saya secara otomatis menganalisis model bisnisnya: How to make it profitable and sustainable? Saya percaya bahwa secanggih apa pun sebuah inovasi, jika tidak memiliki nilai ekonomi (baik dalam jangka pendek maupun panjang), maka skalabilitasnya akan terbatas.

Namun, mengoptimalkan economic value saja tidak cukup. Sebagai pemimpin, kita harus mempertimbangkan social value—sejauh mana inovasi tersebut bermanfaat bagi publik. Idealnya, sebuah bisnis atau riset harus berada di persimpangan keduanya: menguntungkan secara finansial dan berdampak secara sosial.

  1. Inovasi yang Menguntungkan & Berdampak: Inilah "Gold Standard" yang harus dikejar oleh organisasi modern.
  2. Inovasi Berdampak namun Belum Menguntungkan: Tanggung jawab kita adalah mengupayakannya agar setidaknya menjadi berkelanjutan (sustainable).
  3. Inovasi Menguntungkan namun Kurang Berdampak: Di sinilah integritas individu berperan untuk mengalihkan sumber daya (seperti melalui filantropi atau inisiatif sosial) agar tercipta keseimbangan manfaat.


Kesimpulan: Menuju Purpose-Driven Leadership

Kita tidak perlu menunggu untuk menjadi sosok besar seperti Warren Buffett atau Bill Gates untuk mulai berkontribusi. Prinsipnya sederhana: Think big, start small. Kita bisa mulai mengintegrasikan nilai-nilai kebaikan dalam setiap keputusan bisnis atau riset yang kita ambil hari ini. Seperti pesan yang tertulis dalam kitab suci: "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Perpanjang Paspor di KBRI Seoul

안녕하세요! Hari Jumat yang lalu (14 Juni), saya pergi ke KBRI Seoul untuk memperpanjang masa berlakunya paspor saya. Seperti yang kita tahu, masa berlaku paspor RI itu hanyalah 5 tahun. Sebenarnya saya masih punya jatah waktu 6 bulan sebelum paspor saya expired karena paspor saya dibuat pada akhir tahun 2008 (berarti expired akhir tahun 2013). Hanya saja, jika masa berlaku paspor kita kita kurang dari 6 bulan, kita tidak akan diperbolehkan untuk pergi keluar negeri oleh pihak imigrasi. Ada teman saya yang pernah berencana untuk liburan keluar negeri dan sudah membeli tiket pesawat pulang pergi, tapi ketika dia sampai di bandara, petugas imigrasi tidak mengijikannya terbang karena paspornya sudah mau expired. Sayang sekali kan..

KBRI Seoul

Karena saat ini saya sedang di Seoul, cara untuk memperpanjang paspor di sini sangat mudah. Asalkan semua persyaratan lengkap, kita cukup membayar biaya sebesar USD 22 dan bersabar menunggu beberapa jam, paspor baru pun sudah siap. Adapun cara-caranya adalah sebagai berikut:

1. Download formulir PSLD berikut (atau pastikan form terbaru di situs KBRI Seoul) dan isi form nya di rumah. Tidak perlu menempelkan pas foto 3x4 karena nanti diminta foto lagi di KBRI.

2. Siapkan dokumen-dokumen berikut ini, baik asli maupun fotokopi: paspor lama, visa, Alien Registration Card, dan surat keterangan studi/kerja.

3. Berpakaian yang rapi dan datang ke KBRI Seoul pada hari kerja (Senin-Jumat), sebelum jam 12 siang. KBRI Seoul ada di Yeouido, tepatnya di 380 Youidebang-ro, Youdeungpo-gu, bisa dijangkau dengan Subway Line 9, keluar di Saetgang station, exit 3. Masuk melalui pintu samping kedutaan, bukan pintu utama yang dekat pos satpam. Saat itu saya datang hari Jumat jam 11an, dan suasana KBRI cukup sepi.

4. Serahkan form dan dokumen-dokumen yang dibutuhkan (semua dokumen asli, kecuali paspor lama, hanya ditunjukkan saja). Setelah itu, nanti kita akan diberi struk pembayaran sebesar USD 22 (untuk paspor 48 halaman). Pembayaran dilakukan di KEB (Korea Exchange Bank) yang terletak di seberang jalan utama menuju KBRI.

5. Menuju ke KEB, yang ada di lantai dasar dari Lotte Castle. Supaya lebih jelas, bisa tanya petugas security yang ada di KBRI karena beliau punya petanya. Tunjukkan struk pembayaran ke petugas KEB dan bayar sejumlah USD 22 (atau bisa juga menggunakan mata uang KRW).

6. Setelah itu, menuju ke lantai basement dari bangunan tersebut, dan cari studio foto. Cukup beritahukan bahwa kita mau foto untuk paspor, nanti kita akan dipotret dan mendapatkan 2 lembar foto 3x4, seharga KRW 10,000. The most expensive passport photo that I ever had...

7. Kembali ke KBRI, serahkan bukti pembayaran dari bank dan pas foto, lalu nanti kita akan diberikan slip tanda terima. Biasanya kita cukup menunggu sampai jam 3 atau 4 sore, dan paspor yang baru bisa kita bawa pulang. Kalau saya kemarin, karena sore itu saya ada kuliah, jadi saya baru kembali ke KBRI beberapa hari setelahnya. Voila, paspor baru sudah di tangan, dengan masa berlaku sampai 2018 dan issuing office: KBRI Seoul.

Semoga informasi di atas bermanfaat!
좋은 하루 되세요! :)

Belajar Tulisan Korea (Hangul)

Ketika kita ingin belajar bahasa Korea, langkah pertama yang harus dilakukan adalah belajar membaca tulisan Hangul (Han-geul / 한글).

Sekadar info, pada zaman dulu, rakyat Korea menggunakan tulisan Hanja, yang mana identik dengan tulisan Cina kuno. Tulisan Hanja itu termasuk logograf (ideograf), yang mana tiap hurufnya melambangkan suatu kata atau morfem. Untuk fasih membaca dan menulis tulisan Hanja, rakyat Korea perlu menghafal banyak sekali bentuk huruf, akibatnya hanya kaum terpelajar saja yang melek huruf.

Lalu, pada pertengahan abad ke-15, Sejong The Great (세종대왕), raja yang memerintah dinasti Joseon di Korea saat itu, memiliki ide bagaimana meningkatkan tingkat literasi rakyat Korea, yaitu dengan cara menciptakan featural alphabet yang mudah dipelajari, Hangul.


Berikut ini saya mau membagikan cara praktis mempelajari tulisan Korea (aksara Hangul). Sebuah karakter Hangul disusun dari 2 atau lebih unit. Unit tersebut terdiri dari beberapa konsonan dan vokal, yaitu:

14 konsonan dasar + 5 konsonan ganda

g n d r m b s - j ch k t p h
kk tt pp ss jj

6 vokal dasar + 15 turunannya (+i, +y, +w)

a eo o u eu i ae e oe wi ui
ya yeo yo yu yae ye
wa wo wae we

Places to Visit in South Korea

안녕하세요! Hello there.. Thank God, I had few occasions to do business trip in South Korea. My first business trip was in autumn 2010. I enjoyed three months there in a chilly weather. Then, my second one was a short biztrip in February 2011. It was only 10 days because the schedule was so tight.

Lucky me, in the midst of busy work there (in my company, working until midnight or working in weekend is an ordinary thing), I had several times taken time to travel around Korea, especially around Gyeonggi-do province. So in this blog post, I want to share places I have visited during my time in Korea, and I think those are recommended places to visit if someday you visit this country. I will share my short story in every place I ever visited in Korea. Here we go... *warning: this will be a long long blog post ^^*

AMUSEMENT PARK

1. Everland
Everland Resort (에버랜드 리조트) is the largest theme park in South Korea. It is located in Yongin city, about 40km from Suwon. I visited this amusement park at Chuseok (추석) holiday this year. FYI, Chuseok is a three-days holiday for Korean; actually it is a harvest festival. I went there on September with my college friends who are doing post grad study in Korea. Although it was flooded due to the heavy rain that day, surely it was an amazing experience. And who knows you will be trapped in flood in the developed country such as South Korea, haha :)).

At Everland (Halloween season) with KAIST-ers

For you, roller coaster lovers, there are some roller coasters there, including the T Express. One of the most must-do in Korea is riding T-Express, which is the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world!! 77 degrees, w00t!! :) Click here for Youtube video made by American tourist about T-Express.

Background: T-Express wooden roller coaster, Everland

Biztrip to South Korea

안녕하세요 ^_^

Gratefully, I find myself in Suwon, South Korea at the moment :). It's been quite the journey since my arrival in September 2010, and my stay here extends until the end of November 2010 due to a business assignment. Being in Korea for the first time feels nothing short of amazing.

A quick rewind to the third week of August 2010: my supervisors surprised me by reassigning me to a new team and informing me of our upcoming projects at the Headquarter. It caught me off guard, especially amidst preparations for DVD-P 2011 development with my former colleagues. After careful consideration, I embraced the opportunity and transitioned to the BD-P software developer team.

Excitement brims within me as I delve into this new project, eager to acquire fresh knowledge and experiences. Working with a different product and chipset presents its challenges in embedded software development, demanding swift adaptation to new source code architectures. Transitioning from C to C++ programming and from Windows to Linux development environment adds to the learning curve, but the journey thus far has been rewarding.

Life in South Korea? It's been a delight! The Korean people exude kindness and diligence, and I must confess, many Korean girls are charming haha.. perhaps I've indulged a bit too much in SNSD and Wonder Girls' video clips XD. The transportation infrastructure here surpasses that of Indonesia, and the Internet connection is top-notch. As for the food, well, let's just say I'm still acquiring the taste for kimchi :p hehe. On weekends, I seize the opportunity to explore Gyeonggi-do, with hopes of sharing my adventures in an upcoming blog post.

Just a brief update for now. May I excel in my duties here, and may weekends bring a well-deserved respite (although, as fate would have it, I just received an email from my boss summoning me to the office tomorrow – on a Sunday! Life's unpredictability keeps things interesting! =)

Yeouido Park, South Korea

좋은 하루 되세요!