Reframing Biohealth in Korea: Conceptual Foundations and Industrial Policy Perspectives

Biohealth has emerged as a new industrial concept that encompasses the entire spectrum of healthcare and health management, grounded in the convergence of life sciences, medicine, and information technologies. However, the definition of biohealth remains inconsistent, with diverse interpretations across global and domestic contexts. In South Korea, a predominantly industry-driven and narrowly framed perspective has led to persistent conceptual ambiguity. This study employs a genealogical analysis to critically and systematically examine the historical evolution of the prefix “bio-,” the process by which the concept of biohealth was formed, and its convergence with digital technologies. It also critically compares the definitions and scopes presented in major policy documents to identify patterns and divergences. The findings demonstrate that biohealth has evolved from a biotechnology-based framework to a more comprehensive paradigm encompassing digital healthcare and health management services. By clarifying overlapping meanings and definitional inconsistencies that have been overlooked in previous discussions, this study seeks to logically organize and categorize the conceptual landscape of biohealth. Ultimately, it proposes biohealth as an integrated theoretical framework for the development of health industry policy and technological strategy, thereby contributing to both academic coherence and practical applicability in policy and research related to health innovation and governance.