Key takeaways South Korea is investing $400 million in a national biobank containing data from 770,000 individuals, with public access scheduled to begin in 2026. The government is linking clinical da...
The Health and Medical Data Policy Deliberation Committee, a 24-member body within the Ministry of Health and Welfare, outlined new initiatives in December 2025 to expand the country's public health and medical data infrastructure.
The committee is working to link clinical data from three national university hospitals to the Health and Medical Big Data Platform, which currently holds administrative data from public institutions.
The centerpiece of the initiative is a $400 million biobank project, first announced in late 2024, that will integrate biological data from 770,000 individuals.
The government plans to begin providing public access to this nationally integrated bio big data database in the second half of 2026, with full accessibility expected by 2028.
The committee is also working to connect health data across hospitals for AI training and clinical research while ensuring data security and privacy protection, according to information from the Ministry of Health and Welfare press release.
To facilitate AI development in healthcare, the government is significantly expanding its data access voucher program.
The initiative, which began in July 2025 with eight projects, will grow to support 40 projects in 2026.
The program provides AI startups and small enterprises with up to 400 million won (over $280,000) per project to access medical data from partner hospitals.
In 2026, the ministry will also support at least 20 projects to verify medical AI solutions prior to their adoption in health facilities.
These projects aim to help hospitals develop the capability to assess and integrate AI tools systematically.
Vice Minister Lee Hyung-hoon emphasized the government's commitment to advancing medical AI adoption.
"Changes in clinical practice begin with strengthening the capabilities of frontline healthcare professionals.
This year, we laid the groundwork for medical AI workforce training and confirmed the need for continued investment.
In 2026, we will actively support the digital transformation of hospitals and the wider adoption of medical AI, ensuring that tailored training is provided according to each institution's size and environment," Lee stated, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has been assisting hospitals in establishing data infrastructure and harnessing health data for medical research and improving healthcare services since 2020.
In early 2023, it launched a data utilization project supporting digital health researchers to access data from partner hospitals, designating five major hospitals as centers for safe medical data utilization.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency also plans to secure graphics processing units to enhance its cloud-based health data access services for public researchers, enabling remote analysis of large data volumes.
These initiatives align with South Korea's broader strategy to position itself as a leader in AI-driven healthcare innovation.
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