Denpasar (ANTARA) – Indonesia and South Korea are pursuing a strategic partnership to strengthen halal certification, build institutional capacity and support safer, more trusted and globally competitive halal-product trade.The cooperation covers halal-assurance technology and digital halal logistics, involving Indonesia's Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), KAHAS, the Korea Halal Certification Center, GL Halal Center and South Korean industry representatives.BPJPH Head Ahmad Haikal Hasan said technology was critical to strengthening halal product assurance systems, according to a statement received in Denpasar, Bali, on Thursday.Digital innovation can improve certification effectiveness while protecting halal product integrity throughout supply chains through the development of halal logistics, Hasan said.“Technology collaboration is highly beneficial. We can leverage digital innovation and expand cooperation in halal logistics to protect halal integrity from production and storage through distribution,” Hasan said.Halal logistics is a key part of the halal ecosystem because it helps prevent contamination during storage, transportation and distribution, he said.Strengthening the sector is becoming more important as cross-border halal trade expands and requires more effective, documented monitoring systems.Seo Yeon Beom, director of the Korea Halal Certification Center, presented technology innovations supporting food-safety assurance systems.One is SMART HACCP, a digital food-safety management system designed to analyze and control critical control points more effectively.The system uses sensors to enable more accurate, real-time monitoring, improving food-safety assurance, Seo said.The approach could also support halal logistics, which is becoming increasingly important to global halal-product trade, he said.South Korea's halal-system development focuses not only on meeting halal requirements but also on consumer protection, Seo said.“Halal products also involve consumer protection. Halal means products that are clean, safe and trustworthy,” Seo said.