As Hacking Incidents Surge, Ministry of Science and ICT Urgently Summons Major Company CISOs
"Need to Develop Measures to Attract Talent and Investment"
Voices from the Field at the Emergency Meeting
Ryu Jemyung, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, is holding a joint briefing between the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Financial Services Commission for hacking response at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 19th. 2025.9.19 Photo by Cho Yongjun
The government has urgently summoned Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from around 30 major companies to strengthen cyber crisis response, instructing each company to identify their key information assets and report them back to the government. This meeting was convened as a follow-up measure after recent hacking incidents in the telecommunications and financial sectors heightened public anxiety, and after Prime Minister Kim Minseok underscored the urgency of inspecting nationwide security vulnerabilities and preventing further damage the previous day.
On the morning of September 23, the Ministry of Science and ICT held an emergency meeting at the Seoul IT Venture Tower, gathering CISOs from about 30 major companies. Ryu Jemyung, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, who presided over the meeting, stated, "The current cyber crisis is extremely serious," and urged, "Each company should clearly identify its key information assets and promptly conduct its own security checks, including vulnerability analysis, and report the results to the government." He further emphasized, "To create a digital environment where the public can feel safe, the 30 or so CISOs present here must take responsibility and lead the way in strengthening information security."
In light of the recent spate of hacking incidents, the government called on companies to ensure thorough management of information security. The government also listened to difficulties faced by the industry regarding investments in information security and exchanged opinions. Participating companies voiced significant concerns about challenges in expanding security investments and workforce. One attendee commented, "Although the importance of security is growing due to frequent incidents, there is a severe lack of incentives for actual personnel and budget allocations," and suggested, "It should be made a legal requirement to allocate budgets and personnel for information security, reflecting the characteristics of each industry." Proposals were also made to encourage investment through tax benefits. One CISO pointed out, "Current regulations focus mainly on imposing fines after a security incident occurs," stressing, "There is an urgent need for tax and policy support to promote proactive investment."
The gap in capabilities based on company size was also highlighted. While large corporations have relatively ample security personnel and can respond effectively, small and medium-sized enterprises struggle to handle even basic security tasks due to workforce shortages. Even within the same corporate group, significant differences in the capabilities of security teams among affiliates were cited as a common challenge.
A government official stated, "We plan to incorporate industry feedback into the comprehensive information security measures currently being prepared."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
