KAI donates coronavirus test kits to Indonesia's defense ministry

Government officials of Korea and Indonesia pose during a ceremony in front of the Indonesian Defense Ministry, Wednesday, to deliver coronavirus test kits donated by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to the Indonesian ministry. Courtesy of KAI

By Jung Da-min

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced Wednesday that the company and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) jointly donated coronavirus test kits to the Indonesian Defense Ministry to help the country battle the COVID-19 outbreak.

The companies sent enough test kits to analyze up to 10,000 samples. They said they wanted to offer humanitarian aid to the Southeast Asian partner country which operates Korea's KT-1B and T-50i planes and 1,400-ton submarines.

“Korea and Indonesia have maintained friendly relations in various fields, including the defense industry,” KAI President and CEO Ahn Hyun-ho said. “I hope this support will help Indonesia better battle the COVID-19 outbreak.”

In cooperation with the Korean Embassy in Indonesia and the Indonesian Defense Ministry, the test kits were delivered to Jakarta by Indonesian flagship carrier Garuda Airways. The test kits have an over 95 percent accuracy rate.

KAI, the sole aircraft manufacturer in Korea, has been partnering with the Indonesian government for the joint development of the KF-X/IF-X fighter for both countries' air forces, after the two nations signed an agreement in 2014.

The countries have further elevated bilateral cooperation in the defense industry through a joint declaration on the sidelines of the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit in November last year, in which they highlighted the joint fighter project.

Korea has recently become one of the main exporting countries to Indonesia in the defense field, topping the ranking of such countries from 2009 to 2018, followed by Russia, the U.S., the U.K. and the Netherlands, according to the 2019 Global Defense Market Year Book published by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality.