Seoul City and National Radio Research Agency Sign EMP Joint Response Agreement

Measures for Protecting Key Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the National Radio Research Agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT signed a business agreement on the 2nd to jointly respond to the threat of high-power electromagnetic pulses (EMP) that affect public life and safety in areas such as transportation, communication, and energy.

High-power electromagnetic pulses (EMP) refer to electromagnetic waves artificially generated and emitted in pulse form with powerful wavelengths. They can momentarily or permanently damage or cause malfunctions in internal circuits of electric medical devices, communication means, transportation systems, and factory equipment.

Most social infrastructure is operated through advanced information and communication systems and has organic interconnections, so if a problem occurs in one part, the impact can spread throughout society.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon emphasized the need for a defense system against EMP attacks that can instantly disable all major facilities after the prolonged outage of Kakao platform services last year.

Accordingly, under relevant laws, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the National Radio Research Agency, which possesses related technologies, have joined forces to establish protection measures for key facilities against electronic intrusion acts.

The main contents of the business agreement include ▲ cooperation in preparing EMP defense measures and technology development, ▲ technical support, consultation, and expert personnel exchange in the EMP field, ▲ and cooperation in the use of facilities and equipment owned by the institutions.

According to the agreement, both organizations plan to jointly conduct EMP vulnerability analysis, evaluation, and preparation of countermeasures for major facilities in Seoul starting this year.

Jinman Kim, Director of Digital Policy at Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, “Since most public infrastructure facilities are operated through advanced information and communication systems, they are inevitably vulnerable to EMP attacks, so preparing defense measures in advance is of utmost importance.” He added, “We will respond to new types of disasters threatening citizen safety together with the specialized National Radio Research Agency.”

Seongil Seo, Director of the National Radio Research Agency, said, “We will actively cooperate in establishing and implementing defense measures for major facilities promoted by Seoul Metropolitan Government. We will also focus on expanding proactive disaster response in the EMP field to major facilities outside Seoul, and we hope these efforts will be the cornerstone for advancing a safe digital Korea for the public.”