The 37th Korea International Medical and Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES 2022) opened at the COEX in southern Seoul on Thursday.
Co-organized by the Korea Medical Devices Industrial Cooperation Association (KMDICA), Korea Medical Industry Association (KMDIA), and Korea E&EX, the annual event aims to promote public health and medical technology development and vitalizes medical- and hospital-related device industry.
The annual exhibition has maintained its status as the largest medical equipment fair in Korea, with more than 1,200 companies participating this year despite the spread of the Omicron variant and the influence of the presidential election.
According to organizers, this year's KIMES will shed light on the rapidly changing Korean medical device industry as conglomerates, and tech startups enter the professional medical device market beyond digital healthcare.
Also, the exhibition will present the current status of the advanced medical industry, such as telemedicine technology, artificial intelligence (AI), robotic medical equipment, smart hospital system, big data, skincare, and rehabilitation equipment, which have grown explosively in recent years.
Notably, the exhibition features a "Medical AI Pavilion," demonstrating AI convergence next-generation medical solution technology developed by SK, AIRS Medical, Waycen, and ClariPie.
The event will also provide various academic content. Furthermore, reflecting the growing interest in cutting-edge parts and materials and global healthcare and medical tourism, the MedicomteK 2022 and Medical Korea 2022 will hold their event parallel to KIMES 2022.
"Korea’s medical equipment manufacturers have made a huge leap by turning the global crisis of Covid-19 into an opportunity to show off Korea's strong medical technology worldwide," Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said. "We will do our best to nurture and help the industry stand tall as a world-class player by continuously strengthening the competitiveness of products and using technological innovation, such as digital transformation, as a growth platform."
Addressing concerns over a large event amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, Korea E&EX stressed that it had taken every precautionary measure to ensure the safety of participants.
Those measures include completely dividing the exhibition hall entrance and exit, placing thermal imaging cameras and facial recognition fever detectors at the exhibition hall entrance, and installing mobile disinfection devices in various places to enhance safety.
"We are doing our best to ensure that the event is perfectly safe," a Korea E&EX official said.