Busan high school students in gifted programs are making headlines by developing digital services that utilize artificial intelligence to address key local marine issues.
According to the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education's Gifted Education Promotion Institute, the '2026 High School Future Talent Frontier Leader Training Camp' was successfully completed after five sessions held from July 28 to August 13.
Hosted by the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education and organized by the Promotion Institute, the camp saw participation from 762 students across 34 high schools in Busan, representing a high participation rate of 95% of all gifted program students this year.
Among the 34 schools with gifted programs, the highest number of participants came from Saha District (6 schools) and Dongnae District (5 schools). Other participating districts included Busanjin and Haeundae (4 schools each), Sasang and Suyeong (3 schools each), Geumjeong and Bukgu (2 schools each), and Gangseo, Gijang, Donggu, Seo-gu, and Yeongdo (1 school each), showcasing exceptional talent from across Busan.
The camp focused on the theme of 'marine,' a key infrastructure for Busan. Students integrated AI technologies, including vibe coding, into a design thinking process to identify and address local marine issues, planning and developing web and app-based digital services.
As a result of the evaluations, six projects were selected as outstanding. The chosen services include: △ 'Crowdy AR,' an augmented reality-based missing person finder for crowded areas; △ 'BOSO,' a location-based reporting service for marine waste and facility damage; △ 'Sea Monster GO,' a beach waste collection reward service; △ 'Cargo Master,' a 3D port logistics simulation; △ 'SUPERNOVA,' a real-time seafood price comparison service; and △ 'Wind Finder,' a building wind risk alert service.
The developed services were entirely executed by the students, from planning to deployment. While they are not yet officially registered on app markets (Google Play, App Store), they have been made publicly accessible through web links and QR codes, with source codes available on GitHub. However, some outstanding projects that include location information and citizen reporting features still face challenges regarding privacy protection and false reporting responses for actual commercialization.
A representative from the Promotion Institute stated, "Currently, we are in the initial development stage using idea planning and APIs. We plan to thoroughly address privacy issues related to multiple accesses through expert reviews in the future."
The Promotion Institute aims to enhance the outstanding apps through expert consultation and technical improvements in the second half of the year, with plans to disseminate the results to the local community and educational settings.
Meanwhile, the Promotion Institute is conducting an AI camp for elementary, middle, and high school students under the same overarching theme of 'marine.' Following the completion of the middle school camp (Physical AI) and the current high school camp, an elementary school camp utilizing G-Cube and ping pong robots is scheduled for next week.
Yoon Hye-jung, head of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education's Gifted Education Promotion Institute, emphasized, "This camp provided students with a meaningful opportunity to empathize with real issues in Busan and seek proactive solutions using advanced technology. We will actively support our students in growing into creative and practical global future talents."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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