"Aria, Save Me" SKT AI Care Saves 100 Seniors

SKT 'Emergency SOS' Linked with Fire Agency's '119 Safety Call'... Elderly Chronic Disease Registration, Rapid Response in Emergencies
'AI Care' Operated for 11,000+ Households Over 2 Years... 100 of 1,978 Emergency SOS Cases Connected to 119

(From left) DaehO Park, Executive Director of Happy Connect; Youngcheol Jeong, Head of Operations at ADT Caps; Deokgon Bae, Director of 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services at the National Fire Agency; Junho Lee, Head of ESG Business at SK Telecom

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] SK Telecom and the National Fire Agency are advancing the enhancement of emergency rescue systems for socially vulnerable groups based on the achievement of rescuing over 100 elderly people through the AI speaker NUGU-based 'Emergency SOS'.

On the 14th, SK Telecom, the National Fire Agency, ADT Caps, and Happy Connect signed a 'Mutual Cooperation Agreement' at the National Fire Agency headquarters in Sejong City, announced on the 15th. This agreement aims to create synergy between SK Telecom's AI care service 'Emergency SOS', provided to local governments nationwide, and the National Fire Agency's '119 Safety Call', which databases chronic diseases, medications, and guardian contact information of elderly living alone to provide customized emergency treatment services.

SK Telecom, ADT Caps, and Happy Connect will assist elderly individuals with guidance and registration for the '119 Safety Call Service'. The National Fire Agency will inform each provincial fire headquarters about the operation details and methods of Emergency SOS to establish an organic public-private cooperation system. In emergencies, the initial response level of the ICT Care Center operated by SK Telecom and Happy Connect will be enhanced, and urgent patients will be promptly connected to the 119 situation room, strengthening an emergency rescue system that does not miss the golden time.

According to data compiled by SK Telecom and the National Fire Agency, from the launch of the AI care service in April 2019 until last May, there were a total of 1,978 'Emergency SOS' calls, of which 100 cases led to 119 emergency rescues. Among the elderly transported to 119, 5% were cases of 'life-threatening emergencies' requiring immediate action such as exhaustion, myocardial infarction, or colon perforation. The largest portion, 81%, were 'disease emergencies' where help was requested due to health issues from chronic diseases or sudden abdominal pain. There were also cases where elderly experiencing depression were visited (3%) and elderly in urgent situations such as falls in daily life were rescued (11%).

Emergency SOS calls were found to be received during nighttime, early morning, or dawn hours?times when elderly people find it difficult to get help from others?in 65% of cases, about twice as many as during daytime. SK Telecom, judging that Emergency SOS minimizes safety gaps for elderly living alone through AI care service operation, plans to further enhance the service by linking with the National Fire Agency's 119 Safety Call in the future.

Baek Deok-gon, Director of the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Service Bureau at the National Fire Agency, said, "We will strive to strengthen the 119 emergency rescue system through ICT services collaboratively operated by the public and private sectors and create an environment where socially vulnerable people can live with peace of mind." Junho Lee, Head of ESG Business at SK Telecom, stated, "Based on the experience of rescuing over 100 elderly people, we plan to continuously advance the AI care service to contribute to strengthening the social safety net."