A domestic medical engineering company is set to market a swallowable, capsule-like endoscope by year's end.

The Commerce, Industry and Energy Ministry said Thursday that the team has developed the nation's first capsule-type endoscope after six years of research and four billion won in state funds.

Measuring eleven millimeters in diameter and 23 millimeters in length, the disposable device has a built-in camera and light source to help doctors to diagnose a patient's condition without causing discomfort.

The endoscope can stay in digestive organs for up to eleven hours, transmitting video images to a receiver outside of the patient’s body.

The ministry said the device is more competitive that those of foreign rivals in performance and price.