When talking about worldwide benchmarks, people use the term "global standard." A standard means a "norm." Standards are a promise that spans the economy, industry, and technology. Technological advances can create a need for a "standard," but a single standard can also drive a leap of revolutionary scale. The National Institute of Technology and Standards and ChosunBiz selected the "top 10 standards that changed the world" and the "top 10 standards that changed the lives and economy of Koreans" based on a survey of industry, academia, research, and media experts, and they reexamine the role of standards. [Editor's note]
In 2020, when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading, a group that passed off 5,500 general commercial masks as KF94-certified products was indicted on charges of fraud and violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and was fined on appeal in 2024. At the time, crimes took advantage of the situation in which KF94 masks, rumored to be highly effective at preventing viral infection, were selling briskly at high prices.
KF94 is short for Korea Filter. It is the standard for health masks established in 2014 by the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety (Ministery of Food and Drug Safety). As yellow dust worsened in 2008, "yellow dust prevention masks" appeared on the market, and when the H1N1 flu spread in 2009, "quarantine masks" were released. In 2014, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety integrated masks with fine dust blocking performance into "health masks" and presented certification standards.
Types of health mask certifications are divided by fine particle blocking performance into ▲KF80 ▲KF94 ▲KF99. To be certified, they must demonstrate the ability to block at least 80%, 94%, and 99% of fine particles with an average size of 0.4 micrometers (μm), respectively. They must also meet standards for the degree of air leakage through gaps when worn on the face and for ease of breathing.
At the time of COVID-19, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "For hospital workers and others, we recommend wearing KF94 or KF99 masks that can protect the respiratory system from sources of infection, but for the general public, KF80 is sufficient." However, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surged, a rumor spread among the public that to prevent viral infection you had to wear at least a KF94. This led to a shortage of KF94 masks and panic buying.
Some mask manufacturers also exported KF94 masks overseas. In particular, exports to Japan, where mask-wearing is routine, opened up. It is said that exports of masks from Korea to Japan were rare before COVID-19. But from Jan. to Mar. 2021, about $2,327,000 (about 3.4 billion won) worth of KF94 masks were exported.