Seoul St. Mary's Hospital builds elderly driving simulator with artist's donation

Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced Monday that it has built a driving simulator system capable of precisely evaluating and studying the driving ability of elderly patients and those with cognitive decline, made possible by a development fund donation from artist Hwang Kyu-baek.

The project began with a 50 million won neurology development fund that Hwang donated to the Catholic Medical Center in February 2024. A devout Catholic, Hwang entrusted the funds with the wish that they be used meaningfully for the hospital's advancement. The neurology department honored that intent by directing the money toward research on elderly driver safety and cognitive function management — key challenges in a super-aged society.

Following the donation, the hospital partnered with Forum Eight Korea, a leading domestic traffic safety solutions company, to develop dedicated software for assessing how cognitive function affects driving ability.

Forum Eight Korea then contributed matching hardware it manufactured specifically for the project, completing what the hospital calls an "integrated education system" that replicates real road conditions in a virtual driving environment and enables detailed analysis of driving behavior.

As society enters a super-aged era, the safety of elderly drivers has become a pressing public concern. The new system draws particular attention given the growing need for an objective tool to measure how cognitive decline affects driving judgment and reaction time.

A ceremony held Monday was attended by Yang Dong-won, a neurology professor at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, donor Hwang Kyu-baek, and Kim Do-hun, chief executive of Forum Eight Korea. The research team presented plaques of appreciation to Hwang and Kim in recognition of their contributions.

Hwang then moved to the newly installed simulator and took a virtual road drive himself. The group also exchanged views on how the equipment would be used and operated going forward.

The installation marks the first driving simulator built for evaluating and studying elderly and cognitively impaired patients in the neurology department of a major general hospital in South Korea. The system is expected to serve as clinical education material for medical students and residents, and to play a central role in raising public awareness of cognitive function and driving safety among older adults.

"It is meaningful to see this donation take concrete form," Hwang said. "I hope the simulator gives many elderly drivers an opportunity to reflect on safe driving."

"Hwang Kyu-baek's generous donation inspired technological cooperation from a company, and from that came a meaningful asset for addressing the traffic safety challenges facing a super-aged society," Yang said. "We will do our best in research and education to ensure that the intentions of the donor and the company are put to the most valuable use in the medical field."

Hwang is recognized internationally as a master printmaker who has established a singular place in the global printmaking world by developing his own distinctive approach to the mezzotint technique.