Government Develops ICT Convergence Technology to Prevent Laboratory Explosions and Assist 119 Rescue Operations

Digital Convergence Technology Applied to 3 Major Safety Fields
Collaboration Among MSIT, MOIS, MOEL, and MOTIE
Completion by 2027... Budget Scale Over 200 Billion KRW+a

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Within five years, an ICT technology-based monitoring system will be established to detect chemical leaks in advance to prevent laboratory fire and explosion accidents. Since GPS-based location detection has been difficult in indoor emergencies such as stalking crimes or fires, indoor precise positioning technology will also be developed. This will enable faster and more accurate rescue operations. Additionally, a preventive system to predict the severity of natural disasters such as large wildfires or floods will be developed.

Mid-to-long-term roadmap 추진…Target year 2027

Expected Benefits of Improving Safety Management Capabilities Using Digital Technology

On the 18th, government agencies announced that they will integrate digital convergence technologies into three major safety areas?workplaces, daily life, and disasters?to prevent large-scale disasters and various accidents. The Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy jointly presented the “Digital-based National Safety Enhancement Plan” at the 5th National Policy Issue Inspection and Coordination Meeting.

Hong Jin-bae, Director of the Network Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, explained in a pre-briefing, "The mid-to-long-term roadmap sets 2027 as the timeline. For the four major industrial sites, some projects such as entrapment accidents and unmanned operations will undergo demonstrations this year, and the remaining projects will commence by next year." The budget is expected to be around 200 to 250 billion KRW but is not yet finalized.

Enhancing Safety at Four Major Industrial Sites

Government agencies will first enhance safety at the four major industrial sites. In manufacturing and logistics, a ‘ultra-low latency 5G (private network) safety service’ that immediately cuts power to prevent sudden entrapment accidents at manufacturing sites will be demonstrated (Banwol Industrial Complex). In logistics sites, where delicate operations are required, unmanned and remote operations of high-risk loading tasks (such as in food industry clusters) will be tested.

At construction sites, to prevent falls and entrapment caused by building collapses, a ‘digital construction safety management system’ will be demonstrated using video sensors and IoT sensors measuring temperature and strength to analyze safety equipment usage and building collapse risks. Regarding emotional labor, a ‘metaverse-based digital therapeutic’ will be developed and expanded to support customized mental health management by analyzing severe stress among emotional laborers such as call center counselors.

A ‘digital safety system’ will be established to prevent risks in high-risk workplaces. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to designate high-risk industrial complexes such as Namdong, Banwol, and Siwha, which have dense small and medium enterprises, and complexes with frequent major accidents like Yeosu and Ulsan, as special safety zones. Digital safety equipment such as disaster safety CCTV and hazardous substance detection sensors will be intensively deployed.

Measures for confined spaces and laboratories will also be prepared. To prevent suffocation and gas poisoning explosion accidents in manholes and underground workspaces, a ‘complex gas detection system’ detecting 15 types of gases including hydrogen sulfide and combustible gases will be demonstrated. An integrated safety monitoring system will be established to protect researchers from accident risks such as hazardous substance leaks and oxygen deficiency.

At sea, a ‘maritime distress SoS watch’ that immediately sends distress signals in case of drowning of fishermen or crew will be demonstrated, and emergency rescue systems will be established including consideration of distribution to livelihood fishermen.

A system to spread customized digital safety new services for vulnerable companies with fewer than 50 employees, such as SMEs, will also be established. The Ministry of Employment and Labor will analyze risk factors using big data, the Ministry of Science and ICT will develop digital safety new services, and a leading market for SMEs will be created. Afterwards, the Ministry of Employment and Labor will take over to support vulnerable companies with fewer than 50 employees.

Establishing a Digital Safety Net in Daily Life

Conceptual Diagram of AI-Based Indoor Hybrid Positioning Technology

IT technology will also be introduced in emergency situations such as indoor fires or stalking crimes requiring 119 dispatch. The Ministry of Science and ICT, police, fire department, and Seoul City will collaborate to promote the ‘indoor precise positioning establishment and advancement’ using various signals such as base stations, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth in indoor emergencies where GPS location tracking is impossible. Director Hong Jin-bae said, "Recently, MVNO operators have faced difficulties providing location information due to delays in establishing Wi-Fi information systems, but this technology will be developed universally so that MVNO operators can also use it."

Digital solutions will also address safety blind spots in daily surroundings. The government plans to supply ‘biological abnormal situation detection radar frequency’ (70 GHz band) to detect emergencies by monitoring abnormal behaviors of patients and the elderly. Additionally, intelligent CCTV combining UWB and GPS will be prepared to ensure safe return home by tracking the locations of dementia patients and children, and to detect criminal acts and signs.

Preparing in Advance for Natural Disasters

Furthermore, digital-based crisis management policies will be promoted to prepare for natural disasters such as floods and wildfires caused by global warming. A systematic preparedness system will be expanded nationwide focusing on the five major rivers, using digital twins to predict flood damage and artificial intelligence to support decision-making for water discharge and evacuation. Intelligent IoT-based water blocking devices will also be demonstrated to enhance water management and urban flood safety.

Wildfire disasters will also be prevented. With cooperation from Gangwon Province providing wildfire-related data, the Ministry of Science and ICT will develop and demonstrate video AI that detects early-stage wildfires, establishing an intelligent continuous wildfire monitoring system.

Safety will also be secured for critical national infrastructure. AI-based management systems will be created to prevent fires and terrorism by deploying patrol drones and robots at important facilities such as power plants. Risks of accidents in railroads and underground utility tunnels will be proactively managed using sensors and artificial intelligence.

Through public-private cooperation, the foundation for digital national safety services and industrial ecosystems will be strengthened. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will support the development of a disaster safety data sharing platform that collects, links, analyzes, and utilizes dispersed disaster safety data. The Ministry of Science and ICT will build AI training data and promote service development and expansion through cloud-based service development support systems and preferential procurement.

The government plans to establish a ‘mid-to-long-term technology development roadmap’ for four core technologies and operate a public-private consultative body to discuss standardization and regulatory improvement tasks.

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "Through this policy, we hope the digital safety leading model will minimize safety blind spots and strengthen national safety. The Ministry of Science and ICT will expand cooperation with related agencies in the convergence and utilization of digital technology in the safety field and make multifaceted efforts to advance to a safer society that the public can feel."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.