South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission on Monday held an on-site meeting with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to rationalise personal data regulations in the health and medical sector.

The meeting was arranged as a follow-up to “K-Bio core regulatory rationalisation” discussed at the second key regulatory rationalisation strategy meeting last year. It aimed to hear field-level regulations and institutional difficulties arising in the use of health and medical data and to discuss improvements.

At the meeting, Kakao Healthcare and researchers at Seoul National University Hospital presented cases of developing AI based on medical data and research trends in using health and medical data. They explained the importance of expanding data sharing and the difficulties felt by researchers in the field.

The commission introduced key policy directions in measures to innovate the pseudonymised information system and its operation that it announced last September. It also introduced newly adopted systems to support data use, including a one-stop support service for pseudonymisation and a non-action opinion letter on pseudonymised information.

In a discussion held after the presentations, participants including researchers from university hospitals and companies developing medical AI and medical devices discussed proposals to expand the sharing and use of medical data. Various opinions were raised, including measures to use medical data of deceased people, difficulties in judging the adequacy of pseudonymisation, and steps to increase the use of the Personal Information Innovation Zone.

Chair Song Kyung-hee (송경희) said safe use of health and medical data based on trust among all stakeholders must underpin the development of new bio industries such as medical artificial intelligence and digital health. She said the commission would work with relevant ministries including the health ministry to improve difficulties in data use felt in the field.