{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T03:19:00Z","timestamp":1787541540840,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"The Korean Society of Medical Informatics","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785456000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003710","name":"Korea Health Industry Development Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003710","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003625","name":"Ministry of Health and Welfare","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RS\u20112024\u201100512566"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS\u20112024\u201100512566"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003625","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003625","name":"Ministry of Health and Welfare","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RS\u20112024\u201100512237"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS\u20112024\u201100512237"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003625","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["e-hir.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Healthc Inform Res"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: In prehospital and in-hospital emergency care, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled emergency medical services (EMS) systems are reshaping clinical workflows through real-time triage, automated hospital assignment, telemedicine, and biometric monitoring. However, their implementation in Korea has revealed substantial legal and regulatory barriers. This study analyzed the structural incompatibilities between AI-enabled EMS and Korea\u2019s current legal framework, with particular attention to the Medical Service Act, Emergency Medical Service Act, and Personal Information Protection Act.Methods: We conducted a statutory review and case analysis of pilot projects, including the Chungbuk Smart EMS Project, the AI HOTline in Ilsan, and Yonsei\u2019s AI-Ambulance model. We also performed a comparative assessment of foreign regulatory frameworks, including the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulation.Results: Key barriers included the restriction of remote care to interphysician communication under Article 34 of the Medical Service Act, the lack of legal mandates for real-time hospital capacity sharing under the Emergency Medical Service Act, and limits on real-time sensitive-data processing caused by vague emergency clauses in the Personal Information Protection Act. These barriers constrain the scalability of AI-enabled EMS in Korea.Conclusions: To support lawful and secure integration of AI-driven emergency care in Korea, we propose legislative revisions that establish emergency exceptions for remote AI-supported guidance, require hospital resource disclosure, and provide safe-harbor protections for healthcare professionals who rely on certified AI tools. A harmonized legal infrastructure is essential for realizing the potential of digital transformation in emergency care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4258\/hir.2026.32.3.293","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T00:52:56Z","timestamp":1786323176000},"page":"293-302","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4258\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Legal Barriers to Implementing AI-Enabled Emergency Medical Services in Korea: Focus on the Medical Service Act, Emergency Medical Service Act, and Personal Information Protection Act"],"prefix":"10.4258","volume":"32","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-9380-3855","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Eun\u2011jeong","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Healthcare Research, National Evidence\u2011based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-3524-1691","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yeon\u2011woo","family":"Choi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Healthcare Research, National Evidence\u2011based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-7343-3682","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yeail","family":"Joo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Healthcare Research, National Evidence\u2011based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1077-059X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Min","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Healthcare Research, National Evidence\u2011based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6246-9942","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hyekyeong","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Convergence, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7970-565X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Chaemin","family":"Shin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Healthcare Research, National Evidence\u2011based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, Seoul, Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2780","reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15441\/ceem.23.081","type":"journal-article"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5124\/jkma.2023.66.7.450","type":"journal-article"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"","year":"2024","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/58177","type":"journal-article"},{"key":"ref5","volume-title":"","year":"2020","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref6","volume-title":"","year":"2024","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref7","volume-title":"","year":"2023","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijmedinf.2025.105838","type":"journal-article"},{"key":"ref9","volume-title":"","year":"2016","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref10","volume-title":"","year":"2025","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref11","volume-title":"","year":"2025","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref12","volume-title":"","year":"2023","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref13","volume-title":"","year":"2025","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref14","volume-title":"","year":"2024","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref15","volume-title":"","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref16","volume-title":"","year":"2025","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref17","volume-title":"","year":"2023","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref18","volume-title":"","year":"2014","type":"web-resource"},{"key":"ref19","volume-title":"","year":"2017","type":"web-resource"}],"container-title":["Healthcare 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