KIOM

What KIOM does

KIOM (Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 한국한의학연구원) is a national research institute established in 2002 and headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea, operating under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It conducts scientific research and development in Korean (oriental) medicine and related biomedical and data sciences, organized across four research divisions: Korean Medical Science Research, Korean Medicine Convergence Research, Digital Clinical Research, and Korean Medicine Data. The institute maintains three facilities — the Daejeon headquarters, the Applied Korean Medicine Technology Center in Daegu, and the Herbal Resources Research Center in Naju, Jeollanam-do — covering the full chain from basic herbal resource research through clinical research to technology application.

KIOM serves four primary customer groups: commissioned research clients (mainly government ministries and agencies), outcome utilization customers (companies and institutions adopting KIOM-developed research and technology), collaborative research partners (domestic and international institutions such as Hubei University of Chinese Medicine), and the general public. Its commercial-facing products are digital knowledge platforms — the Mediclassics Korean Medicine Classics Database, OASIS Traditional Medicine Information Portal, Korean Medicine Clinical Information Service (kmpedia), and Korean Medicine Online Policy Service — alongside publications, technology transfer offerings, and public education programs including the Children's Herbal Exploration Program and the Dongui Bogam Academy's cultural-heritage initiatives.

KIOM's business model is government-budget-funded rather than commercial. Primary revenue takes the form of direct government appropriations and commissioned research contracts; a secondary stream consists of technology transfer licensing to Korean small and medium enterprises for commercialization. The institute does not disclose pricing publicly and operates without traditional commercial sales motion. Strategic positioning is reinforced by designation as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, active participation in ISO/TC 249/SC 1 international standardization work, and designation of its Integrative Medicine Research journal as the official publication of the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research.

Name

KIOM

Legal name

Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine

Website

https://kiom.re.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

KIOM (Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine) is a government research institute under Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare that conducts R&D in Korean medicine, digital clinical research, and traditional medicine data, serving government clients, industry partners, and the general public across three Korean facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional Medicine Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

STM Publishing (Science, Technical & Medical) (MPAJABAD)

Keywords

• Traditional medicine research
• Oriental medicine science
• Herbal medicine resources
• Clinical research services
• Medicine information databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Primary funding from government budgets for research activities, including commissioned research from various ministries and agencies.
2. Technology Transfer: Transfer of developed research outcomes to industry, including small and medium enterprises, for commercialization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KIOM is a government-funded national research institute that conducts scientific research and development in Korean (Oriental) medicine, including Korean Medical Science Research, Korean Medicine Convergence Research, Digital Clinical Research, and Korean Medicine Data divisions. The institute delivers commissioned research services to government agencies, transfers developed technologies to industry for commercialization, and provides public engagement programs including educational tours, science experience programs, and traditional medicine workshops.

Product overview

The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM, 한국한의학研究院) operates primarily as a government research institute rather than a commercial product company. The institution offers a unified digital platform through its main website (kiom.re.kr) along with specialized web portals and databases including the Medical Classics Database (한의학고전DB), Traditional Medicine Information Portal OASIS, Korean Medicine Clinical Information Service, and Korean Medicine Online Policy Service. These digital services are complemented by educational programs such as the Children's Herbal Exploration Program and various research publications including KIOM RESEARCH newsletters and the '한의학 프로젝트 50' research collection. The institute operates three facilities: Daejeon headquarters, Daegu Applied Korean Medicine Technology Center, and Jeollanam-do Herbal Resources Research Center. KIOM's research divisions include Korean Medical Science Research, Korean Medicine Convergence Research, Digital Clinical Research, and Korean Medicine Data divisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dongui Bogam Academy: A specialized academy within KIOM focused on traditional Korean medical texts and knowledge, notably associated with the Yakbang (royal infirmary) historical preservation program at Changdeok Palace.
• Oasis
• Mediclassics

Products and services

• Traditional Medicine Information Portal OASIS (전통의학정보포털 오아시스)
• Medical Classics Database (한의학고전DB / Mediclassics)
• Korean Medicine Clinical Information Service (한의임상정보서비스 / kmpedia)
• Korean Medicine Online Policy Service (한의온라인 정책서비스)
• Commissioned Research Services (수탁연구)
• Technology Transfer Services (기술이전)
• Dongui Bogam Academy (동의보감 아카데미)

Quantifiable outcome

• 72.2% reduction in hormone causing prostate enlargement in animal studies using Hovenia dulcis honey
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rural Development Administration (농촌진흥청)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2026The Rural Development Administration collaborates with KIOM on research proving health benefits of agricultural products, including the Hovenia dulcis (Hogye tree) honey study for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The administration plans formulation, product development, and clinical research to establish honey as viable commercial food and pharmaceutical ingredient.
• Dongui Bogam Academy (동의보감아카데미)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2026Dongui Bogam Academy, part of KIOM, partnered with Changdeok Palace Management Office to open the historic Yakbang (royal infirmary) to the public as a summer cooling shelter. The academy provided traditional Joseon Dynasty beverages (Jehotang and Omija-cha) for complimentary tastings and organized hands-on workshops for making traditional medicinal aroma pouches.
• Changdeok Palace Management OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2026Changdeok Palace Management Office collaborated with KIOM's Dongui Bogam Academy to open the royal infirmary (Yakbang) to the public during summer. Visitors received complimentary traditional beverage tastings and participated in medicinal aroma pouch workshops.
• Sancheon County (산청군)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2026Sancheon County supported the weekend programs at Changdeok Palace by providing resources for traditional medicinal aroma pouch workshops, free for all ticketed palace visitors.
• Rural Development Administration (농촌진흥청)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2026Collaborative research with the Rural Development Administration demonstrated that Hovenia dulcis honey reduces hormone causing prostate enlargement by 72.2% and decreases prostate weight by 19.3% in animal studies. Joint efforts aim to develop new commercial applications for struggling beekeeping industry.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Institute of Korean Medicine Development (NIKOM): Korean government-affiliated institute under the same Ministry of Health and Welfare ecosystem as KIOM, focused on clinical evidence, Korean-medicine policy support, and industry development. Closest domestic functional peer because of shared mandate and stakeholder base.
• National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine (NRICM, Taiwan): Taiwan's national research institute under the Ministry of Health and Welfare focused on Chinese-medicine R&D, clinical evidence generation, and standardization. Direct functional counterpart to KIOM in the Sinospheric traditional-medicine research community.
• China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS): National research institute under China's National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine focused on TCM R&D, clinical research, and standardization. Most direct functional peer to KIOM — operates WHO collaborating centres, runs ISO/TC 249 secretariat activities, and publishes flagship journals in the field.

Regional players

• Thailand's Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine: Government division under Thailand's Ministry of Public Health responsible for traditional-medicine R&D, standardization, and integration into national health system. Functions as KIOM's Southeast Asian counterpart in the regional traditional-medicine research community.
• Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI): Korean government quasi-research institute that supports health-industry policy, technology transfer, and commercialization — closely aligned with KIOM's technology-transfer and industry-engagement function within the same healthcare R&D ecosystem.
• Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST): Premier Korean government multidisciplinary research institute, comparable in governance structure, scale of facilities, and multi-division research model. Not a traditional-medicine peer, but a benchmark for what a top-tier Korean national research institute looks like.
• Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB): Major Korean government bioscience R&D institute conducting life-science research under the Ministry of Science and ICT. Comparable in scale and government-affiliated research-institute operating model in Korea, though focused on biotechnology rather than oriental medicine.

Broad incumbents

• China National Center for Biotechnology Development: Chinese government biotech R&D coordinating body with overlapping mandate on herbal-medicine evaluation and clinical validation. Comparable to KIOM in terms of government-affiliated translational research focus, though broader in scope.
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): US government agency under NIH that funds and conducts research on complementary and integrative medicine including traditional systems. Strong functional analog to KIOM's R&D mandate and government-affiliated status, though at much larger scale.

Others

• Elsevier / Integrative Medicine Research publishing ecosystem: KIOM's IMR journal is published in partnership with Elsevier, which is also the publisher of competing integrative-medicine titles such as Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Useful as a benchmarking reference for where KIOM's journal sits among STM publishing peers in the same category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/kiomvideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/withkiom
• Instagraminstagram.com/kiomstory

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KIOM