"KT and MPK Join Forces to Expand K-Quarantine"

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] KT announced on the 21st that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Medical Partners Korea (MPK) for a "Korea Digital and Bio Health Business Overseas Hub Model."

Through this agreement, KT and MPK will promote global digital healthcare and health information projects using Kazakhstan as a forward base. They also plan to actively contribute to the spread of K-quarantine by leveraging Korea's ICT capabilities. From 2021, they are considering expanding their business to the Eurasian region, including establishing a molecular diagnostic testing center in Russia.

Founded in 2015, MPK was the first in Korea to successfully operate overseas infectious disease clinics and testing centers directly. In March, it was designated as the national molecular diagnostic testing institution for COVID-19, the first private hospital in Kazakhstan to receive this status.

Since the MERS outbreak in 2015, KT has collaborated with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to develop the "Global Epidemic Prevention Platform (GEPP)," a system that tracks infectious disease transmission routes using telecommunications data, making significant efforts to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. GEPP has since been recognized as an innovative best practice by international organizations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the UN, and the GSM Association (GSMA). It has also attracted global investments from the Gates Foundation, the Right Fund, and others.

Kim Chae-hee, Executive Director of KT AI/Big Data Business Division, said, "With this MOU with MPK, KT will officially advance its digital and bio health business globally based on its core competencies in AI and big data technology. We will establish local hubs and create a medical cooperation ecosystem to provide a foundation for Korea's strong medical SMEs to enter overseas markets." Kim Heon-jin, CEO of MPK, said, "Through this partnership with KT, we can serve as a forward base for health IT and bio business expansion into Central Asia and Russia."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.