[AI Revolution](196) NHN Waplet: "Aging in Place with an AI Care Platform"

NHN's Senior Care Subsidiary

From Automatic Well-being Checks to Health Management via App

Sunyoung Hwang: "We Need a Standard for Care Data"

Sunyoung Hwang, CEO of NHN Waflet, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily on the 22nd at NHN Play Museum in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

"In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), caregiving must also evolve. Through an AI-powered platform, we are supporting 24-hour, daily-life-centered independent living so that seniors can spend their later years where they have always lived, rather than in nursing homes."

Sunyoung Hwang, CEO of NHN Waplet, emphasized during an interview with The Asia Business Daily at the NHN headquarters in Sampyeong-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on April 22, that "as Korea enters a super-aged society and both the elderly population and those with chronic illnesses increase, AI-driven care services can provide a solution to the low birth rate and aging population issues."

NHN Waplet, founded in 2021, is NHN's senior care specialist subsidiary. The establishment was inspired by CEO Hwang’s personal experience and ideas while she was serving as Director of Legal and Policy Affairs at NHN, and she now holds both roles concurrently. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for my parents became a major concern for me," Hwang said. "I was always worried about my parents, who do not live with me, but realistically the senior care environment did not improve. As the baby boomer generation faces the need to care for even older parents, I realized this could become an explosive social issue."

Recognizing the growing demand for AI-driven care, NHN Waplet is currently operating the 'Waplet AI Life Supporter' service, aiming to realize 'Aging in Place,' which means enjoying a healthy old age in one's own home. The service has been adopted in a variety of government projects, such as integrated care services and integrated support for senior medical and care services, resulting in business agreements with 38 local governments and institutions nationwide so far. In line with the government's policy of transitioning the care sector to artificial intelligence, NHN Waplet has also applied to participate in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'AI Smart Home' project.

The Waplet AI Life Supporter is an AI-based integrated care platform that uses only a smartphone to manage not just the safety and well-being of care recipients, but also their health and emotional state. Based on smartphone sensors, even small movements automatically trigger well-being checks, and the service is linked to real-time monitoring and response by a professional security company. It features digital healthcare functions approved as medical devices by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, allowing users to measure key health indicators—such as cardiovascular health, irregular heartbeat, stress, and fatigue—by simply placing a finger on the rear camera of a smartphone for 15 seconds. Measurement results are transmitted to the administrator center in real time.

"Since last November, in cooperation with the Senior Citizen Support Center for Those Living Alone, we began projects with 10 institutions nationwide," Hwang explained. "Despite the average age of users in the Senior Citizen Support Center project being 77.2 years, the app usage rate reached 98%, and 51% of seniors—one out of every two—used the cardiovascular health check function an average of 6.1 times per week, demonstrating a very positive response."

Seonyoung Hwang, CEO of NHN Waffle, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily on the 22nd at NHN Play Museum in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Hwang noted, "In the past, local governments hesitated to introduce such services, doubting seniors’ ability to use smartphones, but now even seniors with dementia instinctively take their phones when leaving the house, showing much higher adoption and changing perceptions. The AI Life Supporter service is expanding through local governments and proving its effectiveness." In situations where caregiving personnel are in short supply, the AI Life Supporter is also contributing to greater efficiency in local government care administration, and NHN's high-performance AI infrastructure, which can handle vast volumes of health and care data, serves as a key differentiator.

As the head of a private company handling care data, Hwang expressed some frustrations. "Care data from different institutions is not interconnected. The biggest problem is that there is currently no standard for care data," she said. "The government needs to present channels for private companies to collect data, and central ministries must make establishing a standard for care data a priority." Hwang also pointed out, "Continuity is crucial in the care business, but local government budgets are set annually, so related projects often end before enough data can be accumulated. It would be beneficial if multi-year budget planning could reflect the unique characteristics of care services."

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