Mayo Clinic platform image (source: screenshot from the Mayo Clinic Platform website)
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to create a national medical data-sharing platform modeled after the Mayo Clinic system in the United States, aiming to overcome long-standing privacy barriers that have slowed the use of artificial intelligence in health care.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said Wednesday that it will launch a multiyear initiative next year to build a “Korean-style Mayo Clinic platform,” a centralized data space where hospitals and AI companies can safely share and trade anonymized medical data. The move is intended to accelerate the development of medical AI technologies in fields ranging from diagnosis to personalized treatment.
The Mayo Clinic — regarded as one of the world’s top smart hospitals — operates an integrated AI and data platform that aggregates electronic medical records, imaging, lab results, prescriptions and cost data from more than 70 hospitals and clinics across the United States.
Each institution retains control over its own data, while sharing follows strict HIPAA privacy guidelines. Membership is limited to hospitals and AI or data analytics firms; of roughly 100 members, more than 80 are medical institutions.
Several South Korean hospitals, including Seoul National University Hospital, already participate in the Mayo platform as data-sharing partners.
New National Platform Aims to Unlock Hospital Data for AI, Modeled on Mayo Clinic (Yonhap)
Under the government’s plan, the Korean platform will be funded with 6 billion won (about 4.4 million dollars) annually over three years. Built on blockchain-based anonymization technology, it will allow medical institutions to contribute data for analysis and AI training while sharing any resulting commercial gains.
A proof-of-concept phase will begin next year, with commercialization targeted for 2027–28. Seoul National University Hospital, along with leading Korean medical AI firms such as Lunit, VUNO and Kakao Healthcare, is expected to join the consortium.
The platform is intended to streamline Korea’s complex data-sharing procedures, which currently require pseudonymization and approval from hospital data review boards and bioethics committees before information can be shared. Officials say the centralized system would simplify these steps and significantly expand access to high-quality data for AI model development.
Beyond health care, the government is also reviewing ways to standardize criteria for pseudonymous data that can be used without explicit consent from individuals, mirroring the U.S. approach in which 18 personal identifiers must be removed for data to be exempt from privacy laws.
The broader effort includes creating a “One Window” national data infrastructure to consolidate information on data sources, distribution channels and usage, making it easier for the private sector to access and utilize anonymized datasets.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
