National Security Office Discusses Threats to Critical Infrastructure... "Strengthening Response to Offshore Wind Facilities and Drone Attacks"

'Inter-Governmental Core Infrastructure Security Council' Meeting Held

The Presidential Office announced that President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2nd anniversary press conference will be held on the 9th at 10 a.m. The photo was taken on the 7th at the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 2nd, the Presidential Office announced that the National Intelligence Service held the 'Whole-of-Government Core Infrastructure Security Council' second half of the year plenary meeting, chaired by Wang Yoon-jong, the 3rd Deputy Director of the National Security Office, to discuss countermeasures to block threats to national infrastructure.

The Whole-of-Government Core Infrastructure Security Council was launched on May 28 with the goal of identifying and integrating management of core infrastructure at the national level by the Presidential Office and related agencies, and promoting information sharing and cooperation among agencies in response to various security threats.

They respond to security-related issues by holding joint working-level meetings with relevant agencies both online and offline as needed. Thirteen agencies related to the management and protection of national core infrastructure, including the National Intelligence Service, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of the Interior and Safety, attended the meeting.

The agenda items discussed at this meeting included ▲security threats and responses to offshore wind power facilities ▲response to drone supply chain crises and securing security ▲plans to strengthen safety and security of submarine communication cables ▲and preparation of procurement guidelines for security equipment in the public sector.

The council reviewed the progress of the special law being promoted to foster offshore wind power development and discussed the harmonization issues with military surveillance duties in the relevant waters.

Additionally, a procedure was established for national and public institutions managing core infrastructure to identify and evaluate security vulnerabilities when purchasing surveillance and access control equipment. The Public Procurement Service announced the 'security management specifications and evaluation criteria applied when purchasing security equipment (a total of 16 types) in the public sector,' establishing a foundation to preemptively block vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, they discussed countermeasures regarding concerns about Korea's excessive external dependence on the drone industry, which is expected to grow significantly in both public and private sectors, from both industrial and security perspectives.

In particular, since reliance on overseas supply of core drone components could cause supply chain crises due to export controls in emergencies and security issues such as information leakage, they discussed improving the drone industry procurement system and revising the information protection certification system to prevent vulnerabilities. A plan to establish an integrated response system against drone attacks on industrial complexes densely populated with oil, gas, and power facilities was also introduced.

The safety and security issues of submarine communication cables, whose security importance is increasing due to the rapid growth in international ICT data demand, were also discussed. Submarine communication cables are exposed to various threats such as intentional damage, physical disconnection due to geographical factors, and data theft through cyberattacks. Accordingly, important landing points where cables connect to land communication networks will be designated as national security facilities, and the operation of a public-private joint security council will be actively reviewed and promoted, the Presidential Office added.