South Korea’s APEC white paper puts AI and digital health at centre of regional cooperation agenda

South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has released a white paper documenting the proceedings and outcomes of the 15th APEC High-Level Meeting on Health and Economy and two sessions of the Health Working Group, held under Seoul last September under the theme “Building a Healthy, Smart and Aging-Responsive Society.”

The meeting brought together all 21 APEC member economies, which unanimously adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement committing to stronger health system resilience and closer alignment between health and economic policy.

Among the central themes was the responsible adoption of digital health technologies and artificial intelligence, areas that drew significant discussion across both the ministerial meeting and working group sessions.

Delegates examined how AI and digital tools can be deployed within healthcare systems to address some of the region’s most pressing structural challenges, including ageing populations and the long-term sustainability of public health infrastructure.

The discussions reflected a broader consensus among member economies that technology adoption in health must be governed responsibly, with accountability frameworks keeping pace with innovation.

Healthy ageing featured prominently alongside the digital health agenda, with economies exploring how AI-enabled services and digital health platforms can support active ageing, extend care access in underserved communities, and reduce pressure on hospital-based systems.

Mental health management was also on the agenda, with participants discussing digital tools as one means of expanding reach and early intervention capacity.

On the policy side, the meeting produced the Roadmap to End Cervical Cancer, 2026–2030, representing one of the more concrete programmatic outcomes of the gathering.

The white paper documents the full preparation and implementation process, the consensus-building that underpinned the Joint Ministerial Statement, and a forward-looking blueprint for regional health cooperation.

Following its role as host, South Korea was elected to chair the APEC HWG for a two-year term beginning in 2026, positioning it to shape the digital health and AI governance agenda at the regional level in the years ahead.

The MOHW has also been engaging with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Biohealth Working Group on public-private cooperation. A meeting held on 24 March focused on collaboration based on the ABAC Healthcare Roadmap, with the ministry citing the potential for private sector innovation and technology to complement government policy direction on digital health across the region.