Chuncheon Holds Advisory Meeting for Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group
620 Billion Won Project: Mid- to Long-Term Plan with Four Major Strategies and 20 Tasks
Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration Connects Demonstration to Industrialization
Mayor Yook Donghan: "Combining Medical Assets and AI Technology... Aiming to Become a Hub for Future Industries"
Chuncheon City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Yook Donghan) is taking full-scale steps to establish a “Precision Medical AX Hub” that combines digital health and AI technologies in response to the era of artificial intelligence transformation (AX). The city aims to address regional healthcare disparities and secure leadership in the advanced bio and medical industries through this initiative.
On January 16, Chuncheon City held an advisory meeting for the “Chuncheon Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group” in the city hall’s multipurpose conference room, where they engaged in in-depth discussions about the mid- to long-term strategy and detailed implementation tasks for building the Precision Medical AX Hub, a project with a total budget of 620 billion won.
Yook Donghan, mayor of Chuncheon, is awarding a certificate after concluding the advisory meeting of the Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group of Chuncheon City on the 16th. Provided by Chuncheon City
Why a Precision Medical AX Hub?
Chuncheon City recognizes the need for a regionally customized medical innovation model that incorporates digital technology in response to changes in local healthcare conditions, such as increased medical demand due to an aging population, limited access to healthcare in towns and rural areas, and the expanding need for chronic disease management and care services.
The “Precision Medical AX Hub” promoted by Chuncheon City goes beyond simply applying IT to healthcare; it is a model that aims to innovate the entire healthcare delivery system based on data and AI. The core goal is to shift from a “post-treatment” approach to a “prediction, prevention, and management”-centered precision medical system, thereby overcoming increased medical demand due to aging and the limitations in healthcare access in rural areas.
To achieve this, the city has established four major strategies and 20 detailed tasks. The main areas of focus are ▲infrastructure development ▲technological innovation ▲growth foundation building ▲regional healthcare innovation.
Chuncheon City is also pursuing a precision medical strategy in connection with the government’s “AI Grand Transformation and Ultra-Innovation Economy 30 Leading Projects” and “Five Axes, Three Special Zones: Ultra-Wide Growth Engines” policies announced in August last year, as well as Gangwon Province’s “Gangwon Medical AX Advanced Industry Promotion Project.”
Yook Donghan, Mayor of Chuncheon, is holding an advisory meeting of the Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group on the 16th. Provided by Chuncheon City
What Does It Include?
Chuncheon City has set the establishment of the “Precision Medical AX Hub” as its mid- to long-term strategy and will proceed in phases. With a total project budget of approximately 620 billion won, the city has outlined 20 detailed tasks under four major strategies: infrastructure development, technological innovation, growth foundation building, and regional healthcare innovation.
The discovery of these tasks has mobilized the full capabilities of the local industry, academia, and research sectors. Participants include Kangwon National University, Hallym University, Chuncheon Bioindustry Foundation, Gangwon Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency, and private company Douzone Bizon, all of whom have collaborated to formulate strategies and identify detailed tasks for building the Precision Medical AX Hub.
The starting point for establishing the Precision Medical AX Hub is expanding infrastructure based on medical data. Through the creation of a seamless data integration governance system for precision medicine (10.5 billion won), Chuncheon City will establish an integrated management system that connects and utilizes medical data dispersed among university hospitals, medical institutions, and research organizations. In addition, the city plans to strengthen the foundation for accumulating and utilizing medical and bio data by simultaneously building a precision medical big data platform and establishing a Medical AI Startup Innovation Center.
In terms of technological innovation, the focus is on the practical application of medical AX technologies. For example, the project to build and demonstrate a Medical Agentic AI Platform (30 billion won) will create an environment where AI is actually used in diagnosis, management, and decision-making processes. The city also plans to develop and implement models where AI technology is applied in real clinical and management settings, such as an AI-based full-cycle cerebrovascular disease management system, an on-device AI and metabolite-based chronic disease prediction and management medical AX platform.
The city believes it is essential to establish a structure where companies and technologies can grow together for the sustainable growth of the precision medical industry.
To this end, Chuncheon City is promoting the creation of a Super-Regional Medical AI Union (50 billion won) as a core task, building a collaborative network among universities, hospitals, companies, and research institutions. The city also plans to establish a fast-track system for global AI certification in the four major bioindustries, thereby creating an ecosystem in which research, demonstration, and commercialization are seamlessly connected within the precision medical industry.
Yook Donghan, Mayor of Chuncheon, is holding an advisory meeting for the Chuncheon Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group. Provided by Chuncheon City
The changes that citizens will feel most directly will be realized in the field of regional healthcare innovation. Chuncheon City plans to introduce home-based medical and care services for the elderly and medically vulnerable populations by establishing a medical care AI agent system for Care at Home (30 billion won). In addition, the city aims to integrate precision medical and care services into the regional healthcare system by building an AI-based, region-specific aging management system and developing and demonstrating a smart care model that predicts drug-food interactions using AI.
Based on these strategies, the city will further advance existing projects and sequentially secure budgets and conduct demonstrations for new tasks in connection with the Gangwon Medical AX Project.
Chuncheon’s Approach Amid Government and Gangwon Initiatives
In September last year, the city formed the “Chuncheon Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group,” led by Lee Jongkoo, Chairman of the National Cancer Center (former Director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and composed of professors from Kangwon National University and Hallym University, as well as experts from the medical, health, and industrial sectors, to discuss strategies for precision medical AX. Since then, the city has continuously refined the specificity and feasibility of its strategy through advisory meetings and expert consultations.
At the meeting held on this day, appointment certificates were also presented to new advisory committee members.
Yook Donghan, mayor of Chuncheon, is taking a commemorative photo after the advisory meeting of the Chuncheon Digital Regional Medical Innovation Promotion Group on the 16th. Provided by Chuncheon City
Mayor Yook Donghan stated, “With the systematic formation of the promotion group based on the discussions that have continued since last year, we are now taking a major step toward gradually advancing Chuncheon’s regional healthcare. Although there were times when Gangwon Province proceeded with discussions excluding Chuncheon, universities, the medical community, and the local area joined forces to correct and normalize the process, leading to today’s discussions. Given that AI innovation is being promoted as a national agenda and considering the accumulated medical assets, experience, and research capabilities, Chuncheon should play a central role in the field of medical AX.”
He continued, “R&D is the foundation and source of all advanced industries. Discussing medical AX and advanced industries without a local research base has its limitations, so even if the process is not easy, we will firmly establish a research and development foundation centered on Chuncheon.”
Mayor Yook added, “Although the process has not been easy, we must continue to build on the achievements we have accumulated thus far without wavering. I ask all members of the promotion group present today to join forces so that Chuncheon’s medical innovation can take root properly.”
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