South Korea Expands Senior Product Designation to AI, IoT Devices; Basel Medical Explores AI Integration
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The proposal replaces the existing fixed list of 36 eligible senior-friendly products with seven function-based categories covering posture, mobility, safety, hygiene, excretion, meals, and cognitive or emotional support.
South Korea has proposed expanding its "excellent senior-friendly" product designation to include artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics-based devices, while Singapore-based Basel Medical Group has announced plans to integrate AI into its specialist healthcare services through a strategic partnership.
The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has issued an administrative notice seeking public feedback on amendments to the Senior-Friendly Industry Promotion Act.
The proposal replaces the existing fixed list of 36 eligible senior-friendly products with seven function-based categories covering posture, mobility, safety, hygiene, excretion, meals, and cognitive or emotional support.
The revised framework broadens eligibility to include emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and robotics. It also introduces formal procedures for product applications, reviews, appeals, and periodic re-evaluations. Public consultation on the proposal will remain open until July 13, 2026, before the ministry finalizes the amendment.
Separately, Singapore-based specialty care provider Basel Medical Group has signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with Hong Kong health and insurance technology company QingSong Health Corp to explore AI-enabled healthcare services.
The collaboration will evaluate the use of QingSong's AIcare technology platform and medical AI agent system across Basel's specialist services. Planned applications include clinical decision support, physician training, patient engagement, insurance claims processing, and underwriting assessments.
Basel Medical currently provides specialist orthopedic, trauma, sports medicine, and neurosurgical services in Singapore.
In Japan, Yokohama City University has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Japanese subsidiary of South Korean medical AI company AITRICS to advance research on AI-powered medical devices in clinical settings.
As part of the collaboration, Yokohama City University Hospital will study intensive care and internal medicine data to assess AI-based approaches for earlier detection of patient deterioration and timely clinical intervention. AITRICS, which develops AI software for patient deterioration monitoring, established its Japan subsidiary in March 2025 and has since expanded partnerships with healthcare institutions across the country.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Parkway MediCentre has launched a home-based pediatric asthma monitoring program in partnership with Aevice Health. The initiative uses the sleep-worn AeviceMD device, approved by Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, to continuously monitor lung sound patterns and support clinicians in identifying changes in children with asthma. The program is being integrated into the center's pediatric care pathways.
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