On Tuesday, South Korea’s top cybersecurity official pledged full support for industry leaders who are making the transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
“In order to transition our nationwide cryptography systems to PQC, we need to build a strong foundation for PQC industrialization,” said Baek Jong-wook, the Third Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). He made the comments in relation to the PQC conference that took place in Seoul on August 29. Instead of attending the event in person, the director conveyed his message through an agency press release.
“The agency is committed to offering its full support to the industry in both the technological and policy dimensions, ensuring that they are well-informed about the present status and future plans related to PQC,” Baek further noted.
The PQC conference attracted approximately 100 cryptography experts from research institutes and the cybersecurity industry, all actively involved in PQC development. Notable participants included professionals from the National Security Research Institute, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency. The event featured presentations and discussions centered on the evolving landscape of PQC.
Randall Easter, former director of the United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a leading figure in developing the “Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140” series for cryptography modules, delivered a keynote speech. He shared insights on what to consider and prepare for during the transition to PQC.
On July 12, the South Korean government unveiled its master plan for PQC. The statement highlighted the government’s aim to transition its national cryptography systems to PQC by 2035. This move is intended to safeguard the nation from potential threats posed by quantum computing and to bolster its cybersecurity infrastructure. The national PQC roadmap is built around three primary objectives, which are further divided into six distinct tracks, including technology acquisition and regulatory amendments.
For the past two years, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has been a sponsor of the PQC event. The agency established a specialized research group for post-quantum cryptography in 2021, known as Korean Post-Quantum Cryptography (KpqC). Han Dae-wan, who heads the Cryptography Research Center at the National Security Research Institute, currently leads the KpqC initiative.
