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Busan Metropolitan City Launches Full-Scale Implementation of the “Age-Tech-Based Community Health Care Platform Deployment” Project

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it has completed the selection of the implementing organization for the “Age-Tech-Based Community Health Care Platform Deployment” project, which was selected through the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Smart Village Deployment and Expansion Program. A kickoff briefing will be held today, July 29, at 3:00 p.m. in the conference room on the 26th floor of Busan City Hall, marking the full-scale launch of the three-year project.

The project will invest a total of KRW 10 billion, comprising KRW 7 billion in national funding and KRW 3 billion in municipal funding, to establish age-tech-based health management service hubs in phases at 10 senior welfare centers, general social welfare centers, and other facilities capable of serving as community hubs across Busan.

The project is being undertaken in response to the need to improve Busan’s health indicators and establish a prevention-oriented health management system.

Although Busan performs relatively well in lifestyle indicators such as the rate of regular walking, its health outcome indicators, including the prevalence of chronic diseases and depressive symptoms and the rate of avoidable mortality, rank among the lowest nationwide. This highlights the need to improve lifestyle habits and establish a systematic foundation for health management.

Busan Metropolitan City therefore plans to establish a measurement-based, data-driven preventive health management system at community hubs using age-tech. This will enable older adults to monitor changes in their health while they are still healthy and receive the health management services they need.

This year, the city selected Gaegeum General Social Welfare Center in Busanjin-gu and Molundae General Social Welfare Center in Saha-gu as the first implementation sites. Equipment installation and space development will be completed between October and November, with the facilities scheduled to open in December.

The two institutions will serve as pilot hubs for demonstrating a standardized model before the project is expanded to 10 locations across Busan.

Rather than simply supplying welfare and healthcare equipment, the project focuses on standardizing a prevention-oriented health management model that follows a continuous cycle of measurement and assessment, intervention, reassessment, and conversion of data into usable assets.

At a single welfare center, users will be able to receive integrated assessments of their physical, cognitive, and mental health, followed by personalized health management services based on artificial intelligence analysis.

For physical health, indicators of physical frailty, including muscle strength and fall risk, will be measured, after which personalized exercise programs will be provided using smart fitness equipment.

For cognitive health, the project will support screening for mild cognitive impairment as well as individual and group cognitive training.

For mental health, electroencephalography and heart rate variability will be used to assess mental well-being, and a digital meditation room offering mindfulness-based stress reduction programs will be operated.

The city also plans to establish video communication systems connecting the hubs and kiosk-based reservation systems to improve digital accessibility and convenience for older adults.

Busan Metropolitan City will oversee the project, while the Busan Techno Park Biohealth Center will carry out the commissioned implementation. District and county governments, local universities, and the Busan Age-Tech Public-Private Consultative Council will participate as partner organizations.

With the Busan Age-Tech Public-Private Consultative Council at the center, the city will continue to seek expert advice across all areas of the project and establish a systematic implementation framework covering both design and operation.

Health data accumulated through the project will be strictly managed under the principle of de-identifying personal information. In accordance with public data principles, the city will not sell the data and will use it progressively and exclusively for public purposes, including research, policymaking, and improvements to public services.

In the medium to long term, the accumulated data is also expected to serve as a foundation for building Busan’s age-tech industrial ecosystem.

Kim Dong-hyun, Director General of the Future Technology Strategy Bureau, said, “Busan has the highest proportion of older residents among Korea’s seven metropolitan cities and provinces, making the establishment of an age-tech-based preventive health management system more urgent here than anywhere else.”

“Through this project, we will establish a standardized Busan health management model and build a strong foundation for the local age-tech data industry,” he added.