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Hallymwon, JNU’s policy advisory organization, held the Jeju Future Medical Forum on August 29. Kang Dae-hee, a professor at Seoul National University Medical School, emphasized Jeju's potential as a digital healthcare hub.
The importance of digital healthcare is increasing in the post-COVID-19 era. There was a consensus that Jeju needs to leverage digital healthcare to enhance its medical system, which faces limitations due to regional characteristics.
JNU’s Hallymwon organized the forum at the Nokdam Hall auditorium in the JNU College of Pharmacy. Under the theme ‘Jeju as the Hub of Digital Healthcare,’ about 70 officials attended, including JNU President Kim Eel-hwan, Yang Young-chul, Chairperson of the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC), Moon Yong-seok, President of Jeju Techno Park (JTP), and various medical experts.
In his keynote speech titled ‘Jeju, Hub of Digital Health,’ Prof. Kang Dae-hee emphasized digital healthcare as a key to future medical care. He predicted a shift towards digital healthcare, highlighting its potential for job creation and smart medical infrastructure through ICT convergence.
Digital healthcare represents a shift from treatment-focused care to one that includes prevention and predictive factors. Prof. Kang noted that Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is among the three regions without a senior general hospital, alongside Sejong Metropolitan Autonomous City and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Jeju’s hospital bed ratio is 7.3 per 1,000 people, below the national average of 13.8, with Seogwipo-si at just 2.9, the lowest 10% in Korea.
Jeju also faces a shortage of major hospital support and regional imbalance, with 89.2% of hospitals located in Jeju-si. Prof. Kang suggested that Jeju should undertake a pilot project to build a digital healthcare ecosystem and establish a policy and institutional foundation to expand it into a specialized medical complex. He also recommended attracting investment from major Asian healthcare companies to support the expansion.
JNU President Kim Eel-hwan remarked on Jeju’s lower healthcare accessibility due to its island geography and the growing importance of improving medical care access for residents. He expressed hope that the forum would contribute valuable insights into the future development of Jeju's digital healthcare industry.