Health ministry to host 2026 World Bio Summit in Seoul

The health ministry said Wednesday it will co-host the 2026 World Bio Summit with the World Health Organization on Oct. 21-22 at the COEX Magok Convention Center in Seoul, gathering health ministers, international organizations and AI and biohealth companies around the theme of expanding biohealth innovation through artificial intelligence.

Health ministers and vice ministers from Armenia, Angola, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkiye and Papua New Guinea are among the government delegations. The World Health Organization, the OECD, the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Medicines Agency, the World Economic Forum, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Unitaid, the International Hospital Federation and the Gates Foundation are also set to attend, along with companies including AstraZeneca, Roche, Amgen, Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim.

A declaration, the Seoul Declaration on AI in Health Care for Responsible Innovation and Global Solidarity, will be issued at the opening ceremony, setting out commitments on the safe and responsible use of AI and on international cooperation. Discussions will cover AI's impact across the biohealth cycle and how its benefits can be shared evenly around the world.

"This event will be a venue for heated debate on the future of AI-driven medical innovation," Health Minister Chung Eun-kyung said. She added that the ministry will lead AI medical innovation to protect human life and work with the international community so that its benefits reach everyone fairly.

The main program is organized into three tracks: New Science, on the future of health care that AI will bring; New Value, on new value created in the biohealth industry and at medical sites; and New Finance, on funding strategies and global partnerships to support AI innovation.

The summit will be held alongside the 49th World Hospital Congress, hosted by the International Hospital Federation from Oct. 20 to 22 at the same venue. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute is organizing the summit; registration is free and can be completed in advance on the official website at worldbiosummit.kr.