By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

The government plans to invest 230 billion won (about $168 million) through 2013 to support local companies in the computer security industry.

The plan announced by the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy, Monday, promises lavish investment for research and development (R&D) in key areas such as network security and convergence technologies and training for about 3,000 security experts, including ``ethical hackers.'' It also plans to host an international hacking competition.

``The importance of security technology is being stressed around the world now, as countries look for better ways to prevent crime, terror and disasters,'' said Lee Dong-geun, a ministry official said.

``We are expecting strong participation from businesses and the academic sectors to spur growth of the industry. Korean companies currently control 8 percent of the international security market, but through our investment plan, we want to boost that number to 13 percent,'' he said.

The government will spend 150 billion won through 2013 to invest in research in the three key areas of network security, physical security systems and convergence technologies.

The advancement in digital technologies is blurring the boundaries between the fields, ministry officials said, and possible growth projects include combining network solutions with hardware technologies, such as developing black box-like data-recording devices for vehicles and tracking solutions based on RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.

Government spending has been considered crucial for the industry. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of the 590 information security firms are small-to-medium sized companies with less than 600 million won in paid-in capital.

The government also plans to spend 30 billion won to help companies, institutions and schools train quality personnel, enabling the industry to secure consistent sources of talent.

By establishing master's courses at major universities and also operating an ``information security academy,'' the government expects to train more than 3,000 security experts through 2013.

The government is planning to host the country's first international hacking competition next year, which is part of efforts to train about 1,000 hackers who will lead research into the vulnerabilities of security systems.

It is also looking to mandate more government clients to use local security products and introduce a new certification market for security products that will help enhance their reputation in overseas markets.

The local information security industry was worth around 3.1 trillion won in 2007, with the sector generating about 107.8 billion won in exports.

The sector is expected to grow into a 18.4 trillion won market with 3 trillion won in exports by 2013.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr