The second- and third-generation management of midsize and small companies that lead the Korean economy is going into full swing. They are leveraging the fighting spirit learned from the previous generation and overseas experience to expand onto the global stage. We hear what the second and third generations are thinking to surpass the first-generation entrepreneurs and what they plan to do next. [Editor's note]
Second-generation manager Choi Yuna, co-CEO of Biomist Technology, is leading a second phase of growth following her father. The growth engines are "eco-friendly" and "global."
Biomist is a records and cultural heritage disinfection specialist corporation, founded in 1995 by CEO Choi Young-shin, the father of co-CEO Choi.
Its core product is the Bio Master, equipment that disinfects national records and cultural assets. It was developed with technical support from the National Archives of Korea, the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM), and the Chungnam National University Agricultural Science Research Institute.
This equipment uses a plant-based agent extracted from herb essential oils to disinfect national cultural heritage items made of not only old documents but also leather, iron, and wood.
Choi said in an interview with ChosunBiz on the 5th, "Conventional cultural heritage disinfection used harmful chemicals, so heritage managers had to wear gas masks," adding, "But Bio Master is a natural disinfection system harmless to people and the environment, and anyone can use it easily and conveniently."
With its eco-friendly disinfection system as a competitive edge, Biomist has exported Bio Master not only in Korea but also to the national archives and culture ministries of Japan, Malaysia, the UAE, Oman, and Lithuania.
Choi is an overseas-educated executive who completed undergraduate studies in the United States. After living abroad for more than 10 years, she returned to Korea and worked in overseas sales at a distribution company. She then joined Biomist in 2017, handling management planning and strategy and new business development, and is now focusing on strengthening overseas operations.
Choi said, "For Biomist to grow, we need to target overseas cultural powerhouses with larger markets," adding, "With our eco-friendly disinfection technology, the potential is more than sufficient."
Recently, Biomist launched Bio Master X, which drastically cut the existing disinfection process from an average of 20 hours to 5 hours. It completed verification of disinfection efficacy, material safety, and human safety from internationally accredited testing institutions.
Choi plans to accelerate a push into the global market with Bio Master X. In Oct., the company was the only Korean corporation to participate in the International Council on Archives (ICA) 2025 in Barcelona, Spain, where it introduced Bio Master X.
At the ICA, known as the "Olympics of records," participants included officials from culture ministries and national archives around the world as well as private records experts.
Choi said, "We achieved good results at Barcelona ICA 2025," adding, "We finalized our first export of Bio Master X to the Omani government." She added, "We also signed an agency contract for four Eastern European countries, including Poland, with a local Polish company."
Choi said, "We will transform the records management culture in Europe and the Americas with Korea's eco-friendly disinfection technology," adding, "Starting with Poland, we will establish a local dealership network and move to full-scale export expansion."
She went on to emphasize, "I will show that the 'honesty of technology and quality,' which my father stressed and which has become part of the company's DNA, also resonates in overseas markets."