South Korea is poised to participate in the world’s largest live-fire cyber defense exercise, scheduled to span five days starting April 22. This marks the country’s fourth consecutive year of participation, during which it will collaborate with Ireland as a joint team.
On Monday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced that South Korea will participate in the international cybersecurity defense exercise known as Locked Shields. The team will comprise approximately 80 individuals from 11 organizations, including the military, the Ministry of Unification, and the National Security Research Institute (NSR). South Korea has been involved in Locked Shields since 2021, with approximately 60 individuals from both the private and public sectors having participated in the cyber exercise last year.
Since 2010, Locked Shields has been held annually and organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE), with the goal of strengthening defensive cooperation among member states. In this year’s cyber exercise, approximately 4000 experts from over 40 countries are anticipated to collaborate within a simulated environment, tasked with safeguarding the infrastructure of a fictional nation-state. The NATO cyber defense group stated that participants will encounter challenges mirroring the complexity of real-world cyber threats.
The South Korean intelligence agency emphasized that South Korea is collaborating with Ireland in this year’s exercise. As per the CCDCOE’s training policy, all participants will engage in the exercise as a team to collectively enhance defensive capabilities among members. The NIS highlighted that South Korea and Ireland will concentrate on developing legal and communication strategies to counter emerging cyber threats, including fake news.
“By participating in this year’s cyber exercise, we will enhance our cyber defense capabilities. Alongside Ireland, South Korea will foster cooperative relationships with NATO member states. Together, we will combat global cybersecurity threats,” stated Yoon Oh-jun, the Third Deputy Director of the NIS.
According to South Korea’s intelligence agency, this marks Ireland’s inaugural participation in the Locked Shields cyber exercise. Ireland was formally admitted as a member of NATO’s cyber defense group last year, alongside Japan, Iceland, and Ukraine. The Readable contacted the Irish Embassy in South Korea for comment but did not receive an immediate response by the time of publication.
