Korea mulls creation of cross-gov't cybersecurity command

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered a review of plans to establish a government-wide cybersecurity agency to coordinate responses to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, as intelligence authorities conducted security checks across public institutions.

Lee told a Cabinet meeting that cyberattacks now pose serious risks not only to people’s daily lives but also to the economy and national security.

“We need to discuss establishing a government-wide response body covering both the public and private sectors,” Lee said. He urged officials to consider a powerful “cybersecurity czar” body capable of coordinating security functions now spread across different agencies.

The president said advances in artificial intelligence (AI) were making cyberattacks more sophisticated and widespread, exposing the limits of a system focused on routine inspections and responding only after breaches occur.

Citing a recent attack on cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Lee urged authorities to detect signs of cyberattacks early, share warnings and respond before damage spreads. He also called for stronger protection of essential services and infrastructure, including telecommunications, energy and finance.

The remarks came amid a series of cyber breaches in the financial sector, which have prompted security reviews across government agencies and private operators.

On Oct. 22, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) asked more than 2,100 central and local government bodies to inspect their systems using a security checklist, according to reports Tuesday.

The checks cover internet-facing systems, security monitoring and software patches. The NIS is separately inspecting vulnerabilities in internet-connected systems at key public-sector infrastructure facilities, with the work expected to finish by mid-November.

The Ministry of Science and ICT is also checking about 170 major private-sector infrastructure facilities, including those in telecommunications, online platforms and finance. Those inspections are expected to conclude by year-end.

Cybersecurity responsibilities are split among several agencies. The NIS oversees security at critical public infrastructure, the science ministry handles much of the private sector, and the Financial Services Commission oversees the financial-sector security.

Youm Heung-youl, professor emeritus of information security at Soonchunhyang University, said the government first needs to clarify what kind of organization Lee had in mind.

“Does the president mean a cybersecurity agency established by law, or a committee like the national AI strategy committee? That needs to be discussed,” Youm said.

He said a new agency could require legislation and political agreement, while strengthening the cybersecurity coordination role of the presidential National Security Office was another option.

If the government chooses a committee, Youm suggested that Lee chair it himself to give that body sufficient weight in Korea’s presidential system.

“I personally think it would be better for the president to chair it, even if it is a committee under the president,” he said, adding that he did not favor one organizational model over another.

“What matters most is that it has real authority,” Youm said, citing budgets, personnel and information sharing. “It shouldn’t be a committee that exists only in name.”

Hwang Suk-jin, a professor at Dongguk University’s Graduate School of Information Security, said the current ministry-by-ministry approach has limits in dealing with AI-powered attacks and simultaneous security breaches.

“When financial companies assess their own security using regulators’ checklists, actual vulnerabilities can be missed, or the checks can become a formality,” Hwang said.

He called for regular penetration tests and on-site inspections to identify vulnerabilities and verify that companies have addressed them, rather than relying solely on self-assessments.