Application of 'Quantum-Resistant Cryptography' in Energy, Medical, and Administrative Fields

Ministry of Science and ICT launches full-scale support project
for the 2025 Quantum-Resistant Cryptography Pilot Transition

In preparation for potential security threats to existing cryptographic systems caused by the rapid advancement of quantum computing technology, quantum-resistant cryptography will be applied to key industrial sectors.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 14th that, together with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), it will actively promote the "2025 Quantum-Resistant Cryptography Pilot Transition Support Project" to prepare for the stable transition of the national cryptographic system.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, together with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), will actively promote the "2025 Quantum-Resistant Cryptography Pilot Transition Support Project" to prepare for the stable transition of the national cryptographic system. The photo is not related to the content of the article. Photo by Pixabay

The government will first apply quantum-resistant cryptography to information and communication infrastructure in key industrial sectors, starting with energy, healthcare, and administrative fields closely related to citizens' daily lives.

Since January, the Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA have selected the final consortia through a public competition for project operators: the KEPCO KDN consortium for the energy sector, the RaonSecure consortium for the healthcare sector, and the LGU+ consortium for the administrative sector.

The KEPCO KDN consortium will pilot the transition of the cryptographic system of Korea Electric Power Corporation's "Remote Power Consumption Metering System" to a quantum-resistant cryptographic system. This will prevent leakage and tampering of metering data containing important information from households nationwide and will gradually expand the transition of quantum-resistant cryptography to additional energy sector infrastructure systems in the future.

The RaonSecure consortium will pilot the transition of the cryptographic system of the "Medical Data Relay Platform" to a quantum-resistant cryptographic system. This platform is a cloud-based platform that relays and processes citizens' medical information, linked with electronic medical record (EMR) systems operated at Severance Hospital (Sinchon, Gangnam, Yongin) and others. Through the pilot project, they plan to secure cryptographic system transition technology suitable for the digital healthcare environment.

The LGU+ consortium will pilot the transition of the cryptographic systems of national administrative information systems, such as the "National Technical Qualification Examination System" operated by the Korea Radio Promotion Association, to quantum-resistant cryptographic systems. This aims to establish security technology suitable for the administrative sector environment.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA plan to derive △ module development necessary for cryptographic system transition, △ technical issues and solutions arising during the transition process, and △ actual transition procedures and methodologies through demonstration cases related to quantum-resistant cryptographic system transition in the pilot project.

Through this, they will prepare a "Quantum-Resistant Cryptography Transition Guideline" that can be utilized across industries, supporting the safe and efficient nationwide transition to quantum-resistant cryptographic systems in the future.

Choi Woo-hyuk, Director of Information Security Network Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "The government will also actively support and strive to build a secure digital environment in preparation for the quantum computer era."