[Herald Economy (Busan) = Reporter Jeong Hyung-gi] Busan announced on April 27 that the Ministry of Science and ICT has selected the city as the final recipient in the national competition to establish an Age‑Tech demonstration hub grounded in maritime culture.The initiative seeks to nurture an AI‑driven silver economy in response to a super‑aged society and to build a demonstration ecosystem centered on Busan. Over five years through 2030, the project will receive 13.5 billion KRW in national funding and 13.5 billion KRW in municipal funding—27 billion KRW in total (approximately $10.125 million each; approximately $20.25 million total).
The national project connects Busan’s high elderly population share (25.3% as of 2025) with its marine tourism infrastructure to create everyday environments where seniors can experience advanced AI technologies, while helping related companies build global competitiveness.
This initiative is a key step in implementing last year’s "Busan Age‑Tech Strategy for a Super‑Aged Society" (52nd Emergency Economic Measures Meeting). City officials expect it to convert the challenge of aging into an industrial growth opportunity.
Under the vision "Leap to a global silver‑economy leader based on AI transformation (AX)," the city established the four-part, Busan‑style AGES plan: ▷ A (AX Expansion) — extend AI services beyond care and healthcare into culture, leisure, finance and daily life; ▷ G (Ground Testbed) — conduct citizen‑driven, community‑focused demonstrations through five anchor labs and living labs; ▷ E (Enterprise Scale‑up) — provide end‑to‑end, tailored support from piloting to commercialization for Age‑Tech firms; ▷ S (Spread Global) — leverage cooperation networks with advanced, aging societies in Japan, the U.S. and Europe to enter and expand in global markets.
The city plans to create a virtuous cycle by using accumulated demonstration data on an open, collaborative platform that brings together local companies, public institutions and end users, translating pilot results into domestic and international market entry and job creation.
