KT and Asan Medical Center Team Up to Build AI-Powered Hospital

KT Corporation has agreed to partner with Asan Medical Center to bring artificial intelligence deeper into hospital operations, marking the telecom giant's latest push into the healthcare sector. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding at KT's Gwanghwamun office in Seoul, with Kim Bong-kyun, head of KT's enterprise division, and Park Seung-il, president of Asan Medical Center, present for the signing.

Under the agreement, KT and Asan Medical Center will jointly develop AI tools intended for direct clinical use, including systems to assist with imaging analysis and to automatically gather and review patient health records that are often scattered across different hospital systems. The partners say the goal is to help doctors reach diagnoses more quickly and accurately while shortening wait times and improving the overall patient experience.

The collaboration also aims to modernize hospital infrastructure through what the companies describe as a next-generation hospital information system, alongside AI-based clinical decision support tools. Asan Medical Center is expected to serve as a hub where new medical AI technologies can be tested and validated before wider rollout, with services introduced in phases as their clinical effectiveness is confirmed.

The two sides plan to divide responsibilities according to their strengths. KT will contribute its AI transformation platform and core network infrastructure to help design and validate new service models, while Asan Medical Center will identify clinical and research needs and provide medical expertise to assess how well the technology performs in real settings. A joint working group is set to launch later this month to move the plans into concrete projects.

The partnership reflects a broader national push, as the initiative is described as being in line with the South Korean government's overarching strategy for AI in healthcare. "We will identify and apply AI medical services that can be validated in clinical settings," Park said, adding that the effort aims to improve patient safety and treatment outcomes. Kim said KT intends to use its AI platform to accelerate the broader transformation of healthcare delivery.

For KT, the deal adds to a growing list of efforts to diversify beyond its traditional telecom business into AI-driven enterprise services, an area the company has flagged as central to its future growth. Healthcare, with its heavy reliance on data processing and image analysis, has emerged as one of the more promising fields for such technology in South Korea, where major hospitals and tech firms have increasingly explored similar tie-ups in recent years.