Ministry of Industry Conducts Cybersecurity Readiness Inspection of Affiliated Public Institutions

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] On the 26th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a video conference chaired by Vice Minister Park Jinkyu, attended by chief cybersecurity officers from 40 affiliated public institutions, to review the cybersecurity response posture.

This meeting was organized to share cybersecurity threat trends with public institutions under the ministry’s jurisdiction and to assess each institution’s cybersecurity response posture, in response to the recent continuous occurrence of cyberattacks such as ransomware both domestically and internationally.

Vice Minister Park expressed concern, saying, "Recently, cyberattacks targeting overseas energy infrastructure as hostages or attempting to steal domestic core technologies have been continuously occurring," adding, "Cyberattacks on national infrastructure can cause not only economic damage but also social disruption and threaten national security." He continued, "Institutions managing critical energy infrastructure such as nuclear power plants, electricity, and gas must be aware that even a single hacking incident can cause enormous inconvenience to the public’s daily lives and must devote all efforts to cybersecurity."

Additionally, Vice Minister Park requested strict compliance with quarantine rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and active implementation of staggered summer vacations to reduce electricity demand during the summer season.

Before the meeting, Vice Minister Park visited the 'Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Cyber Safety Center,' which oversees cybersecurity for public institutions under the ministry, to check the VPN monitoring status and urged officials to proactively respond to cyber threats.