'ITU-T Cybersecurity International Standards Conference' Confirmed to be Hosted in Korea

Laying the Foundation to Lead Global Standardization in Cybersecurity

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 5th that it successfully secured the hosting of the 'ITU-T SG17 Cybersecurity International Standards Meeting' in Korea, scheduled for the second half of the year, at the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Study Group 17 (SG17) international meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 3rd. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency under the United Nations (UN) for international technical standardization in information and communication technology (ICT). 'ITU-T SG17' is the study group responsible for international cybersecurity standards, and Korea has been serving as the chair country (Chair: Professor Yeom Heung-yeol of Soonchunhyang University) since 2017. Through biannual international meetings, it supports activities for developing international cybersecurity standards, including the adoption of international standards and provision of technical guidelines.

The first half meeting was held from February 21 to March 3 in Geneva, Switzerland. At this meeting, two international standard proposals in the field of vehicle communication security, developed under Korea's leadership, were finally approved. Two international standard proposals in the field of application service security were also pre-adopted and will undergo member country opinion collection procedures for future international standard adoption. Additionally, five newly proposed standardization tasks, including software supply chain security, were approved as well.

The 'Second Half ITU-T SG17 International Standards Meeting' will be held from August 29 to September 8 at KINTEX in Ilsan (Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do). Over 350 cybersecurity experts from more than 50 countries worldwide are expected to attend and engage in passionate discussions for the development of international cybersecurity standards.

Furthermore, at the second half meeting, the structure of the SG17 study group and new research topics for the next study period (2025?2028) will be decided. Discussions will focus on expanding international standards for cybersecurity technologies such as zero trust and software supply chain security, which Korea has proposed, as well as metaverse security.

Last September, President Yoon Suk-yeol presented a digital new order to realize Korea's digital innovation vision and universal human values of freedom, human rights, and solidarity through the New York Initiative. President Yoon declared that Korea would share the achievements of digital democracy as a model country in the deepening digital era with global citizens.

The hosting of this ITU-T SG17 international standards meeting is part of realizing the New York Initiative, sharing Korea's cybersecurity technological achievements and international standardization success cases, and jointly exploring safe utilization methods of cybersecurity technologies that protect the digital space. It is expected to serve as an opportunity to create a new order for digital free citizens together with the world.

Kim Jeong-sam, Director of the Information Security Network Policy Division, stated, "The ITU-T SG17 international standards meeting is the world's top international standards meeting in the cybersecurity field, attended by cybersecurity experts worldwide," adding, "Through hosting this international meeting, Korea will lead international cybersecurity standardization and use this as an opportunity for our excellent cybersecurity technologies to lead the global market."