Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Winia Dimchae, the leading maker of refrigerators specially designed to store Kimchi, a traditional fermented vegetable dish, has developed a portable ultra-low temperature freezer capable of keeping COVID-19 vaccine doses for up to 18,000 people.

Winia Dimchae's refrigerator is a simple but complicated home appliance that should delicately control temperatures to manage the taste of Kimchi and match the fastidious appetite of customers. Kimchi refrigerators are a must-have in many households in South Korea.

Winia Dimchae said in a statement on January 27 that it would release a 90-liter vaccine freezer powered by an external battery pack in the first quarter of 2021. The freezer can maintain temperatures between minus 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) and 10 degrees for up to two hours. Weighing 65 kilograms (143 pounds), it can be carried easily.

Some COVID-19 vaccines are required to be stored in extremely low temperatures before vaccination. Because of the complicated storage conditions of vaccines, the World Health Organization has speculated that developing countries may find it hard to stably distribute vaccines without using ultra-low temperature freezers.