Ministry of Health and Welfare and WHO Announce International Declaration on 'Medical AI for All'

[Financial News] International discussions on spreading innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) across the healthcare sector worldwide will be held in Seoul. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), visited Korea for the first time in 11 years and announced a joint declaration with Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong calling for the responsible use of medical AI and international cooperation. This is the first time a health and welfare minister and the WHO director-general have jointly announced an international declaration on medical AI.
On the 21st, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that, together with WHO, it will hold the 2026 World Bio Summit at the COEX Magok Convention Center in Seoul from that day through the 22nd, under the theme “Spreading Biohealth Innovation Powered by AI.” The event is organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. Health authorities from various countries, international organizations, pharmaceutical, biotech and AI companies, and academia will attend to discuss the direction of medical AI development and ways to strengthen global healthcare cooperation.
Tedros’s visit to Korea comes 11 years after Margaret Chan, former WHO director-general, traveled to the country in 2015 to attend the World Congress of Nurses. During this visit, Tedros will also attend the opening ceremony for a training facility at the Global Bio Workforce Training Hub and visit domestic biopharmaceutical companies.
At the opening ceremony that day, Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong and Director-General Tedros jointly announced the “Seoul Declaration on AI Healthcare for Responsible Innovation and Global Solidarity.” The declaration emphasized that the benefits of AI innovation should be shared equitably by all humanity, rather than concentrated in particular countries or social groups. To that end, it called for the safe and responsible use of medical AI, as well as international solidarity and cooperation to reduce healthcare disparities between countries. Its aim is to go beyond advances in AI technology itself, establish the foundations for its use in real-world healthcare settings, and ensure that countries around the world can share in the benefits of innovation.
The declaration is significant because Korea and WHO have jointly set out principles for the international use of medical AI. This is the first time a health and welfare minister and the WHO director-general have jointly announced an international declaration on medical AI. Henry Gallardo, president of the International Hospital Federation (IHF), also voiced support for the declaration and called on the international community to take action and show solidarity.
At the Leaders’ Dialogue, the event’s keynote program, experts from international organizations, healthcare institutions and academia discussed ways to put the Seoul Declaration into practice. They addressed the tasks involved in turning the declaration into concrete action, focusing on building infrastructure for medical AI, its responsible use and sustainable international cooperation.
Minister Jeong said, “The AI Healthcare Seoul Declaration, announced jointly with WHO, is a historic commitment to put human life and dignity first, realize ‘AI-enabled basic healthcare’ and stand in solidarity with the international community. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will continue to lead responsible AI innovation and take the lead in ensuring that we can all share in the benefits of AI development.”
Meanwhile, side events will also be held during the summit on topics including expanding access to diagnostic devices, infectious disease preparedness, smart hospitals, the international expansion of healthcare AI and vaccination policy. Minister Jeong is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the health ministers of Türkiye, Armenia, Tunisia and Qatar to discuss cooperation on health insurance, medical AI, market access for Korean pharmaceuticals, patient referrals and healthcare worker training, and digital health.

[email protected] Jung Sang-hee Reporter