Cooperation evolves from status review to hydrogen, ICT and biohealth
Gangwon firms eye Canadian market; AI transformation also on agenda
Gangwon Province and Alberta, Canada — sister provinces linked by their shared identity as pristine natural landscapes anchoring the Baekdudaegan ridge and the Rocky Mountains — have agreed to expand their partnership into future industries as they mark the 52nd anniversary of their sister-province relationship.
Discussions on future industry cooperation began in 2024, the 50th anniversary of the tie, and are becoming more concrete this year.
According to Gangwon Province, a delegation led by Alberta Deputy Minister Dale McFee visited the Wonju Medical Device Industry Promotion Agency on Tuesday and held the Gangwon-Alberta Future Industry Cooperation Roundtable with public and private sector representatives from Gangwon's industrial and economic sectors, discussing cooperation in biohealth and digital industries.
The first roundtable, held in Calgary in September 2024, focused on sharing information on advanced industries in both regions. The second, held in Chuncheon in February 2025, addressed cooperation in hydrogen and ICT.
Earlier this month, Alberta Health Minister Justin Wright visited Wonju on Sept. 8 to examine the state of public medical institutions in the province, strategies for ensuring healthcare access in underserved areas, and prevention-centered health service systems. The latest roundtable was organized as a continuation of those health and medical cooperation discussions.
With the agenda now expanded to biohealth and digital industries, the two sides have reached the stage of working out specific options — a sign of how steadily their cooperation has taken shape.
Gangwon Province introduced its ongoing policies, including AI healthcare, medical AI transformation (AX) and a digital twin-based medical innovation initiative. Alberta presented the significance of the Gangwon-Alberta roundtable, cooperation opportunities between the two regions, and an overview of its biohealth and digital industry landscape.
The Alberta delegation toured the Wonju Medical Device Industry Promotion Agency to get a firsthand look at South Korea's largest medical device industry cluster.
Two Gangwon-based companies preparing to enter the Canadian market also made presentations at the roundtable.
ODS O, a hearing health platform company, showcased its unmanned AI hearing-test kiosk "WithHear" and a structured database of more than 1 million hearing records, drawing on its status as the only privately operated KOLAS-certified audiometer calibration laboratory in South Korea. The company presented proposals for business cooperation targeting global hearing aid manufacturers as original equipment manufacturers.
Medical device maker Neo Able introduced its pneumatic air-cell-based smart pressure-sore prevention cushion and AI mattress "NEOX." The smart cushion secured an export contract worth 3.5 billion won ($2.53 million) with Japan's Nissin Medical in May last year, and user testing is currently underway in the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Germany.
"I hope this roundtable serves as a springboard for exports by Gangwon's medical device and digital transformation companies," said Kim Young-gyun, Gangwon Province's director of international cooperation. "We will continue to translate our cooperation with Alberta into tangible results for our businesses."
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