Dianne Rj Obdin

South Korea's National 119 Rescue Headquarters showcases their AI-powered unmanned firefighting robot during the 2026 Global Media Invitation Program  on June 3, 2026

South Korea's National 119 Rescue Headquarters showcases their AI-powered unmanned firefighting robot during the 2026 Global Media Invitation Program on June 3, 2026 (Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

When much of the world thinks of artificial intelligence (AI), they picture a screen where apps instantly turn selfies into cartoons or generate music with just a few clicks.But imagine AI being sent into burning buildings where screens would most likely melt.What sounds like a scene from a science-fiction is already a reality in South Korea.Every fire emergency call carries uncertainty. Heat can warp steel. Thick smoke can erase visibility. Floors can collapse without warning. And for firefighters entering those environments, a single misstep can mean the difference between life and death.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781150898431Screenshot (2544).png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>AI-powered unmanned firefighting robot being demonstrated by South Korea&#x27;s National 119 Rescue Headquarters (Photo by Dianne RJ Obdin, ABS-CBN News)</div>To reduce those dangers, South Korea&#x27;s largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Group, developed an unmanned firefighting robot capable of responding to industrial, residential, and forest fires. The machine resembles a compact armored vehicle riding on heavy-duty tracks, equipped with AI-enhanced infrared cameras, a remote-control system and a high-capacity water cannon. It can roll into areas considered too dangerous for human responders. While firefighters control it from a safer distance, the robot pushes toward the center of the blaze, transmitting information and suppressing flames.This technology was then donated to the South Korean government in February 2026.During a demonstration held as part of the Global Media Invitation Program organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on June 3, Fire Lieutenant Yanghyun Kim of the Capital Region 119 Special Rescue Service said the robot has significantly improved firefighting operations.Its ability to discharge larger volumes of water than human firefighters can deploy manually has shortened response times and expanded access to areas blocked by structural collapse, toxic smoke, or extreme heat.<div>A nation wired for AI</div>The firefighting robot is only one example of how South Korea is deploying artificial intelligence not as a novelty, but as infrastructure.Their government has a broader vision which they describe as an “AI Universal Basic Society”, where artificial intelligence is woven into everyday life to improve public services, boost productivity and expand access to opportunities.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/11/1/marcos-apec-leaders-tackle-south-korea-s-proposed-asia-pacific-ai-center-1216" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘AI for all’: Marcos, APEC leaders tackle South Korea’s proposed ‘Asia-Pacific AI Center’</a></div>This ambition is also visible inside the Seoul National University Hospital.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781151885393Screenshot 2026-06-11 at 12.19.50 PM.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Demo interface of Seoul National University Hospital&#x27;s Integrated AI Platform (Photo by Dianne RJ Obdin, ABS-CBN News)</div>In examination and consultation rooms, physicians can now focus more attention on patients rather than spending much time and effort taking notes as an AI-powered system is now in use to transcribe and summarize electronic medical records in real time. The system also manages patient referrals and return cases to enable faster patient data exchange between hospitals. Every minute saved by this technology makes a difference for patients requiring urgent surgery or treatment.That same logic of integration is now moving beyond hospitals and into the urban areas just south of Seoul.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781152975123Screenshot (2558).png" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Portion of Anyang Smart City Integration Center&#x27;s city monitoring screen (Photo by Alyssa Carmina Gonzales, ABS-CBN News)</div>In Gyeonggi Province, the Anyang Smart City Integration Center functions as the operational nerve center of the local government’s digital systems.Inside the facility, a vast wall of screens streams live feeds from more than 8,000 AI-enabled CCTV cameras like a mosaic of Anyang life. This is where operators monitor traffic conditions, detect flooding and identify fire incidents and potential emergencies across the city. The goal is not simply surveillance but coordination.This system also plays a role in locating missing persons, particularly older adults living with dementia—a growing concern in South Korea as one of the world&#x27;s fastest-aging societies.When a disappearance is reported, real-time data is immediately circulated through public safety alert systems, enlisting the public as active participants in search efforts.Over its 20-year operation, the Anyang Smart City Integration Center has spent the past seven to eight years actively experimenting with how AI can be deployed to better serve their residents. “Even if success does not come at once, the key is to refine and enhance these systems in line with citizens’ expectations while keeping pace with technological progress,” said Yun Jungho, head of the service team. “The most important factor is how effectively a system evolves into a service that citizens truly need and rely on.”<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/6/10/inside-south-korea-s-anyang-smart-city-integration-center-2035" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Inside South Korea’s Anyang Smart City Integration Center</a></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781154788443IMG_2457.JPG" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>KAIST Physical AI Demonstration Lab (Photo by Dianne RJ Obdin, ABS-CBN News)</div>At the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), researchers have built a physical AI platform integrating technologies developed by domestic enterprises, that connects sensors, controllers, robots, and manufacturing software into a unified ecosystem.Rather than operating as separate machines performing isolated tasks, entire production lines can be monitored and adjusted as a single system. Imagine a sorting center for your favorite online shopping platform, but run almost entirely by robots moving in coordination.In that sense, the factory begins to resemble what Anyang has been trying to build at city scale—an environment where perception and action are not separate stages, but part of the same continuous process. <div>Human workers’ fear of displacement</div>Discourse surrounding artificial intelligence remains deeply polarized because for every promise of greater efficiency or convenience, there are concerns about the costs that accompany its rapid expansion.Among the most persistent concerns is whether workers will eventually be replaced by the AI technologies.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781153771033NX309329.jpeg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>South Korea&#x27;s Secretary to the President for National AI Policy Kim Woo-Chang during a meeting with participants of the 2026 Global Media Invitation Program on June 1, 2026 (Photo by Dianne RJ Obdin, ABS-CBN News)</div>Secretary to the President for National AI Policy Kim Woo-Chang acknowledges that fear is a natural response to the rise of artificial intelligence.But Kim stressed that South Korea’s AI initiatives are rooted in a different vision.“Our stance is very obvious. We do want the AI transformation that takes place in the world in an orderly, peaceful, inclusive, human-centered way. Because that is good for us,” he said.Rather than presenting artificial intelligence as a force that will simply replace human labor, the Korean government believes it is a tool that should augment human capabilities and generate benefits that extend beyond technology companies and investors.The challenge, however, lies in translating that principle into practice. <div>People-inclusive AI planning</div>As concerns over job displacement grow alongside the emergence of artificial intelligence, attention in South Korea is shifting toward how workers can be prepared for an economy reshaped by automation.Rather than treating workforce disruption as an end point, some institutions are positioning education and vocational training as part of the adjustment process itself.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781157391755DSC00127.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Clean room facility inside Korea University of Technology and Education (KOREATECH) (Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)</div>At the Korea University of Technology and Education (KOREATECH) in Cheonan, students train in AI-powered learning environments and semiconductor facilities designed to prepare them for emerging industries.The university’s programs reflect a bigger strategy to equip workers with capabilities in advanced manufacturing, smart systems, and data-driven industries, while also expanding AI literacy through more adaptive forms of technical education.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781157747217DSC00576.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Demo of digital training equipment at Gyeonggi Southern Vocational Competency Development Center (Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)</div>A similar emphasis on inclusion can be seen at the Gyeonggi Southern Vocational Competency Development Center, which focuses on employment support and vocational rehabilitation for persons with disabilities.Through job placement services, workplace assistance, and tailored training programs, the center integrates accessibility into workforce development, while also supporting employers with structured disability employment initiatives.These efforts point to a technological transformation that is paired with targeted investment in human capability and access. <div>AI and its toll on the environment</div>Artificial intelligence presents another challenge beyond questions of employment: its potential detriments to the environment.The enormous computational power required to run modern AI systems demands massive amounts of electricity and water. Critics around the world have been questioning the environmental cost of supporting the AI boom.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781154969363IMG_2456.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Scale model of Elice Inc. modular data center (Photo by Dianne RJ Obdin, ABS-CBN News)</div>South Korean startup Elice is among those attempting to address that concern.Alongside its work in AI education and workforce development, the company has invested in modular data center technology that can be deployed more efficiently with a smaller environmental footprint than conventional facilities.Unlike traditional data centers that often require large-scale construction and extensive cooling infrastructure, modular facilities are built from prefabricated container units that can be expanded as demand grows. For South Korea, efforts like this is a balancing act that accelerates the adoption of AI while trying to mitigate the environmental costs that accompany it. <div>Preparing people for an AI future</div>For all the attention devoted to artificial intelligence&#x27;s capabilities, South Korea is betting that its success may ultimately depend on something less technological, which is public acceptance.As the country races to establish itself among the world&#x27;s AI giants alongside the United States and China, the government is investing not only in infrastructure, research labs, and industrial applications but also in preparing citizens for a future in which artificial intelligence becomes an ordinary presence in their everyday lives.That thinking has found its way into classrooms.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781156277112DSC09746.jpeg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Sungkyunkwan University&#x27;s Prof. Kim Jaehyun, Ph.D. presenting their AICOSS program to members of foreign media (Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)</div>At Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), one of the country&#x27;s oldest and most prestigious institutions, students are being introduced to AI not only as a technical discipline but as a foundational literacy. Through the Artificial Intelligence Convergence and Open Sharing System (AICOSS), a consortium of seven universities is working to expand access to AI-centered education beyond traditional computer science programs.The goal is not simply to produce more engineers or AI specialists. SKKU’s initiative reflects a belief that understanding the technology should not be confined to those building it. They aim to expose students from different academic backgrounds to the technologies that shape modern economies and societies. Future business leaders, policymakers, designers, educators and researchers are all expected to encounter AI in their professional lives.<div>Following South Korea’s footsteps</div>South Korea’s initiatives just prove that artificial intelligence is as much a social transition as a technological one. Building powerful systems is not easy. Building a society capable of understanding, trusting and effectively using them may prove harder still.From firefighting robots rolling toward flames to city control hubs illuminated by thousands of camera feeds, South Korea is attempting something larger than technological innovation. It is trying to build an AI-ready society.For developing countries such as the Philippines, the question is not just whether the artificial intelligence era will arrive. It already has.The challenge is not imitating what South Korea has been doing so far. The real test is whether the government is ready to treat AI as a competing priority against urgent public service gaps or as a tool to help address them.Ultimately, an AI future-ready nation must have the ability to build trust, systems and governance strong enough to make artificial intelligence work for everyone.

The South Korean government has a broad vision which they describe as an “AI Universal Basic Society”, where artificial intelligence is woven into everyday life to improve public services, boost productivity and expand access to opportunities.

The South Korean government has a broad vision which they describe as an “AI Universal Basic Society”, where artificial intelligence is woven into everyday life to improve public services, boost productivity and expand access to opportunities.

How firefighting robots, command centers reveal South Korea as an AI-powered nation in the making

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How firefighting robots, command centers reveal South Korea as an AI-powered nation in the making

Dianne Rj Obdin,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 12, 2026 09:29 AM PHT

Read More:

AI

Artificial Intelligence

South Korea

Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism

AICOSS

Sungkunkwan University

KAIST

robotics

emergency response

KOREATECH

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