In a Cabinet room in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung has concluded that a country's defences cannot be assembled from inspections held after the damage is done. Cybersecurity in South Korea is divided among many agencies, and a run of intrusions, including a financial sector hit in recent weeks, has made that division look like a weakness. He has asked his ministers to weigh a single, authoritative body that could draw these scattered efforts together, and to imagine a shared effort reaching beyond government into private industry. Whether the request becomes an institution, or remains a sound
Seoul's Lee Calls for Powerful Government-Wide Cybersecurity Body After Series of Attacks
Inspections and after-the-fact responses are showing clear limitations
In a Cabinet room in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung has concluded that a country's defences cannot be assembled from inspections held after the damage is done. Cybersecurity in South Korea is divided among many agencies, and a run of intrusions, including a financial sector hit in recent weeks, has made that division look like a weakness. He has asked his ministers to weigh a single, authoritative body that could draw these scattered efforts together, and to imagine a shared effort reaching beyond government into private industry. Whether the request becomes an institution, or remains a sound intention, is the question the coming months will answer.
On November 3, at a Cabinet meeting in Seoul, President Lee Jae Myung told his ministers that the country's approach to cybersecurity was no longer adequate. Responsibility is spread across many agencies, and the system leans on inspections and responses that come after an attack has already done its damage. He asked his ministers to consider a different approach, built on prevention and centred on protecting public services and critical infrastructure.
The remarks followed a series of intrusions, including a recent hit on the financial sector. Lee also referred to a multibillion-dollar theft from Binance, the large cryptocurrency exchange, without naming North Korea. The FBI has blamed Pyongyang for that attack, and North Korea denied involvement on the same day. The omission was notable, though the reporting does not explain it.
Lee's proposals are two-part: a powerful 'czar' body to coordinate security work now scattered across agencies, and a government-wide task force that would include private companies. Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Service has begun emergency inspections of more than 2,100 central ministries, local governments and public institutions. That sweep is the kind of after-the-fact work Lee said was insufficient on its own.
For now, the president has asked for consideration rather than announcing an institution. No details yet exist on the body's authority, leadership or relationship to existing agencies. What comes next will depend on whether a czar body is formally proposed and on what the inspections uncover.
On Nov 3, at a Cabinet meeting in Seoul, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the country's approach to cybersecurity was no longer adequate and asked his ministers to consider building something new: a single, powerful body to oversee security work that is currently spread across many agencies.
Lee was direct about the problem. The existing system, he said, centres on inspections and responses that come after an incident, and it is showing clear limitations. He called instead for a comprehensive preventive system to protect public services and critical infrastructure.
The structure he described has two layers. He asked ministers to actively consider forming a cybersecurity "czar" body, one with enough authority to oversee and coordinate security functions that are now scattered. He also said there is a need to discuss a government-wide task force that spans both the public and private sectors, so that the effort would not stop at the edge of the civil service.
The remarks came after a run of intrusions. South Korea has faced repeated cyberattacks, and its financial sector was hit in recent weeks. Lee also referred to the multibillion-dollar theft affecting Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. He did not name North Korea in connection with it. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, has blamed Pyongyang for the attack. North Korea denied any involvement on Nov 3.
That denial sits against a long record of accusations. North Korean hackers have been blamed for numerous earlier attacks on cryptocurrency companies, banks and government systems. Lee's omission of the country's name in his remarks is a detail worth noting, though the reporting does not say why he left it out.
The government has already moved on the inspection side. According to Yonhap News Agency, the National Intelligence Service launched emergency security inspections covering more than 2,100 central government ministries, local governments and public institutions. That sweep is the kind of inspection-centred work Lee described as insufficient on its own, and it is happening alongside his push for something more preventive.
What remains open is whether Lee's request turns into an actual institution. He asked ministers to consider the idea rather than announcing a body, and no details have been given about its powers, its leadership or how it would relate to existing agencies. The thing to watch is whether a czar body is formally proposed, and what the inspections of those 2,100-plus institutions turn up.
Citazioni salienti
The existing security system, which centres on inspections and after-the-fact responses, is showing clear limitations.— President Lee Jae Myung
I ask that you actively consider forming a powerful and effective cybersecurity 'czar' body that can oversee and coordinate security functions that are currently scattered.— President Lee Jae Myung
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Politics & Governance