A high-level meeting saw the Kenyan Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya and South Korea’s ambassador to the East African country discuss partnerships on, among others, defence as regards shipbuilding and maritime security as well as artificial intelligence (AI).

The cabinet secretary and her host, Kang Hyung-Shik, met on August 20 at the envoy’s official residence in Nairobi with the security situation in the Horn of Africa and the Korean peninsula also on the agenda. A Kenya defence ministry statement has it the senior Kenyan civilian in the country’s defence architecture and the diplomat explored how the “two friendly nations can leverage their growing influence in the community of nations to foster lasting regional peace and stability.”

“Bilaterally, the ministry of defence is particularly keen on partnering with South Korea in ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), defence industries including ship-building and maritime security among other areas or mutual interest,” the Kenyan MoD said.

Last week’s visit was followed by another this week, which saw Kenya’s Director-General for Political and Diplomatic Affairs (DG/PDA), Josephat K. Maikara, hold discussions with Hyung-Shik, where the two lauded the deepening Kenya-Korea partnership. They noted the strong co-operation already achieved in political, socio-economic, infrastructural, ICT and digital spheres, and committed to further strengthening ties for mutual benefit.

To deepening economic collaboration, Korea Exim Bank is also set to open an office in Nairobi to enhance the execution of projects under the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).

Also last week, Kenya is co-hosted the second Africa regional Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military (REAIM) event with the Netherlands, Spain and South Korea. This multilateral global initiative aimed at promoting responsible use of AI in military applications has brought to Nairobi military representatives from 17 African countries.

The 2025 African Regional REAIM Consultations, held in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), seeks to deepen Africa’s engagement in responsible military AI by building on the outcomes of last year’s Nairobi Consultations and the 2nd REAIM Summit in Seoul, South Korea.

Hyung-shik is one of the speakers at the three-day event. “AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace, bringing both opportunities and challenges that demand collective responsibility and principled approaches,” he said. Hyung-shik underscored the need for multi-stakeholder dialogue while reaffirming Korea’s commitment to deepening bilateral ties with Kenya, particularly in defence cooperation.

Bilateral relations between Kenya and what is officially the Republic of Korea go back to 1964 when the East Asian nation established an embassy in Nairobi – its first in sub-Saharan Africa. Diplomatic ties are largely driven commercially, by technology transfer and what the statement has down as “people-to-people exchanges”.

On the military side, Kenya is receiving 16 retired South Korean MD500 helicopters, which it will use on United Nations peacekeeping missions. The first six were in December 2023 transported to the US for refurbishment ahead of delivery.

Korean Air’s aerospace division built some 280 MD500s under licence between 1976 and 1984, but these are being replaced by newer aircraft, including the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Light Armed Helicopter (based on the Airbus EC155 Dauphin). The first examples of the Light Armed Helicopter are expected to be delivered this year.

Kenya’s military already operates the MD500, with 40 delivered by the United States between 1980 and 1985, along with 2 100 TOW anti-tank missiles. These were recently augmented by six new MD530Fs delivered from the US in December 2019. They were acquired to assist with operations in support of the AMISOM mission in Somalia.

• A Tell Media report