Paik Nam-jong, president and CEO of Seoul National University Hospital, outlines his vision for the hospital network during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. (SNUH) Seoul National University Hospital Group plans to pursue technology-driven businesses and artificial intelligence-powered management innovation to bolster the sustainability of its public health mission.As the only public institution among Korea's largest hospital networks, the group says new revenue streams will help sustain essential medical services regardless of region or socioeconomic status.The strategy comes as Korea's healthcare system faces growing strain from mounting hospital deficits and an exodus of medical professionals."Korea's healthcare system is at a historic turning point," said Paik Nam-jong, the new president and CEO of Seoul National University Hospital, Monday, during a press conference marking his inauguration.Paik identified the sustainability of highly specialized and emergency medical services, demographic change and the rapid digital transformation of medicine as among the defining challenges facing Korea's health care system. He stressed that SNUH has a critical role to play in helping the country navigate those changes."In the face of these challenges, SNUH must remain steadfast as the nation's hospital and a final safeguard for the health of the Korean people," Paik said.Paik's responsibilities extend beyond the main hospital in Seoul to a network of affiliated and entrusted hospitals, including two of the top five Korean hospitals in Newsweek's latest global hospital rankings.Citing the network's high share of critically ill patients and medically underserved populations, he said the hospital has long emphasized its public mission of delivering advanced care to those most in need.The group's public role is expected to expand further through initiatives in rare pediatric diseases and infectious disease preparedness. It is also strengthening its research and education capabilities in a bid to support public hospitals across the country, Paik said.Yet sustaining that mission is becoming increasingly difficult.Mounting financial pressure on hospitals, coupled with the prolonged absence of medical residents, has raised concerns about the long-term stability of essential medical services.According to Rep. Kim Moon-soo of the ruling Democratic Party, SNUH and its affiliated hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, posted a combined deficit of 135.6 billion won ($89.5 million) during the first half of last year alone, following a total deficit of 109 billion won for all of 2024.To address these challenges, the hospital network and Seoul National University College of Medicine will establish an innovation cluster integrating medicine and engineering, spanning basic research, clinical practice, digital health care and advanced smart rehabilitation, Paik said."Our goal is not for research and education to end within the university," he said. "By leveraging hospitals as platforms, we aim to create a virtuous ecosystem that connects academia, industry and clinical practice."The initiative will support faculty-led startups, technology transfer and collaboration with external partners, leveraging the hospital network's research and clinical strengths."We want to build a structure in which revenue generated from these activities can be reinvested into the hospital's public mission," Paik said.Management innovation through artificial intelligence is expected to play a key role in the strategy.Paik said data-driven decision-making could help hospitals make more efficient use of limited space and workforce resources while improving communication between frontline staff and management. He added that artificial intelligence could also help identify underserved areas and gaps in care, enabling hospitals to allocate resources more effectively."We will strengthen the nation's essential medical services and lead the future through intelligent, connected medicine," Paik said. "By turning today's challenges into opportunities, we will do our utmost to help solve the country's most pressing health care issues."