Seoul Energy Corp. to invest W4.08b in AI-powered safety management over three years

Amid roughly 600 workplace accident fatalities recorded in South Korea each year, Seoul Energy Corp. is moving to build a proactive safety management system powered by artificial intelligence.

The plan centers on a prevention-first approach — detecting early warning signs in aging equipment and eliminating hazards before accidents occur.

Seoul Energy Corp. announced Tuesday it will invest a total of 4.08 billion won ($3.06 million) over three years from 2026 to 2028 to build an AI-based enterprise-wide smart safety management system aimed at improving the safety of aging energy infrastructure.

According to a preliminary report on accident fatalities released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor earlier this year, 605 workers died in industrial accidents last year. With roughly 600 such deaths recorded annually over the past four years, calls have grown louder for a shift away from traditional safety management — relying on manual inspections and periodic checks — toward a data- and AI-driven prevention model.

In line with the government's push for AI transformation, Seoul Energy Corp. plans to move beyond experience-based reactive responses and build an intelligent safety management system that analyzes multiple risk signals from data and predicts and prevents hazards in real time.

To strengthen heat pipeline safety, the company will deploy fiber-optic sensors to detect leaks in utility tunnels and use drones to diagnose leaks along heat transport lines. An IoT-based acoustic sensor network will also be established to catch subtle anomalies in underground pipelines at an early stage. Four core initiatives — from heat pipeline leaks to fire prevention — will be pursued over the three-year period, broken down into 10 detailed tasks.

AI technology will also be applied to fire prevention and worker safety. AI-based fire monitoring and detection systems will be installed on motor control panels and electric vehicle charging infrastructure to identify fire risks before they escalate. At worksites, an AI-powered CCTV and smart safety band platform will monitor workers in real time, flagging hazards such as unauthorized entry into restricted zones.

The company will also expand AI use to ensure stable heat supply. An AI-based heat demand forecasting system and a predictive diagnostics program for user facilities will be introduced, and AI CCTV cameras will be installed on boilers to monitor flames and detect equipment anomalies early — with the goal of improving operational stability and supply reliability at heat source facilities.

Beyond technology, the company will also deepen frontline employee involvement. Seoul Energy Corp. plans to hold an AI safety competition in which workers identify safety problems and propose AI-driven solutions, with winning ideas to be incorporated into actual projects.

Through the initiative, the company aims to build a human-AI collaborative safety management system in which AI continuously detects and analyzes hazard signals that are difficult for people to monitor manually, feeding that information to safety managers for swift judgment and response.

"This AI smart safety management system goes beyond simply adopting new technology — it will be a turning point in shifting the paradigm of safety management from reactive responses after accidents to proactive prevention," Seoul Energy Corp. President Hwangbo Yeon said. "By combining AI technology with the on-site experience and ideas of our employees, we will proactively manage the risks posed by aging facilities and create a safe energy environment where both citizens and workers can feel secure."