It is not just the medical-related enterprises that are driving the boom of K-Science and the K-Disease Control Model. For instance, i3system is a company specializing in national defense technology that was founded by graduates of KAIST in Daedeok Innopolis in 1992. They recently gained tremendous success with the thermal imaging camera equipped with an infra-red sensor chip and sensor developed by applying the technology transferred by the Agency for Defense Development. There was a sharp increase in inquiries from potential buyers, such as operators of train stations, airports, and government and public agencies, that needed to measure people’s body temperature due to COVID-19, and inquiries from potential overseas buyers from Sweden, China, the United States and others skyrocketed this month, resulting in a 10-fold increase in sales.

As noted by foreign press, prompt testing and diagnosis was key to flattening the curve in Korea. According to the data announced by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups last week, there are 24 domestic enterprises exporting COVID-19 diagnostic kits, as of January and February this year, and the second large number of them are headquartered in Daejeon, following Seoul, where companies are headquartered for investment relations and buyer consultation. In addition to diagnostic kit manufacturers, Daejeon is home to a number of companies manufacturing products that are essential for the fight against COVID-19 such as thermal imaging cameras and KF-certified face masks.