Pohang City, Multilingual AI App ... Assists Foreigners with Medical Institution Visits
Published 04 Mar.2024 17:28(KST)
Updated 04 Aug.2025 19:50(KST)
Foreign Residents and Visitors in Pohang Can Easily Access Medical Institutions with App Language Support
AI-Assisted Symptom Recording, Nearby Hospital Guidance, and Multilingual Communication Solutions
Available in English, Japanese, Chine
Pohang City is launching a project that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help foreigners who have difficulty communicating accurately convey their symptoms at hospitals or pharmacies.
On the 4th, the city signed a business agreement to promote AI multilingual medical support services at the city hall's mid-sized conference room with the Pohang Medical Association, Pohang Pharmaceutical Association, five general hospitals in the region, Pohang Family Center, and Mediaq.
The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor Lee Kang-deok, Kim Woo-seok, president of the city medical association, Kim Jin, president of the city pharmaceutical association, representatives from local general hospitals (Pohang Medical Center, Pohang Semyung Christian Hospital, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, S Pohang Hospital, and Good Sunrin Hospital), An Yeon-hee, director of Pohang Family Center, and Lee Chan-hyung, CEO of Mediaq, who agreed to actively cooperate in promoting the AI multilingual medical linkage service project.
This agreement was prepared to resolve the frequent communication difficulties experienced by foreign residents in Pohang, whose population has increased more than 1.5 times over the past 10 years, when they visit medical institutions, and to improve accessibility so they can easily use medical institutions.
The agreement includes ▲ activation of AI multilingual medical linkage services ▲ consultation and promotion for the advanced utilization of medical institution linkage ▲ mutual cooperation to strengthen Pohang City's global medical support service competitiveness.
The AI multilingual medical support service allows users to input their symptoms in their native language using a smartphone app before receiving treatment. The AI algorithm analyzes the input and provides information on related diseases, medical departments, and medical institution locations.
It also provides a summary of the symptoms in Korean to help patients communicate smoothly with medical staff during their visit to medical institutions.
Currently, the service supports five languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Vietnamese, and Russian, with plans to gradually expand the supported languages.
Starting with this agreement, Pohang City plans to further strengthen global medical support services so that multicultural families and foreign residents can overcome language barriers and settle stably in the local community, focusing administrative efforts on creating a sustainable city that grows together.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “With AI-based services, citizens of various nationalities will be able to use medical institutions without language inconvenience,” adding, “We will continue to provide support so that multinational residents can lead stable family lives and fulfill their roles and responsibilities as members of the community.”
As of 2022, Pohang City is home to 2,200 multicultural families and 8,453 foreigners, ranking third highest in Gyeongbuk Province.
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