From Telecommunications and Finance to Defense... Government Accelerates Transition to 'Post Quantum Cryptography'

Expanding PQC Pilots to Space and Transportation... Aiming for Core Technology Independence by 2030
Ministry of Science and ICT Begins Transition of National Infrastructure to Next-Generation Cryptography
"Quantum Security Is Essential"

As quantum computers advance and the possibility of undermining existing encryption systems increases, the government has officially begun transitioning to 'Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC)', a next-generation security technology. This year, the government is expanding pilot projects beyond the healthcare, energy, and administrative sectors to include telecommunications, finance, transportation, defense, and space.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it will expand its PQC pilot transition projects for key national infrastructure and launch new research and development (R&D) programs to develop core related technologies.

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PQC is a next-generation encryption technology that replaces current public key cryptosystems with complex mathematical structures that are difficult for quantum computers to decrypt. As artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing technologies advance rapidly, the collapse of conventional encryption systems is emerging as a real security threat.

Building on the PQC pilot transitions in the healthcare, energy, and administrative sectors last year, the Ministry of Science and ICT has expanded its support this year to five key areas.

From Communication Networks to Satellites...Transitioning National Infrastructure to 'Quantum Security'

In the telecommunications sector, the Dream Security consortium will apply PQC to the Korea Research Environment Open NETwork (KREONET). This project aims to strengthen the security of the national research data communication network used by more than 200 domestic research institutes.

In the financial sector, the Casematec consortium will conduct a PQC pilot across the entire payment infrastructure of Hana Card. The plan is to verify the security and compatibility of all sections of payment data processing, including communication between customer devices and servers, with existing systems.

In transportation, PQC will be introduced into the Pangyo Zero City next-generation intelligent transportation system. This will protect real-time communication between vehicles and road infrastructure and verify the integrity and safety of core information for autonomous driving.

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In defense, a 'smart military integrated platform' pilot is being conducted that applies encryption across all sections, from devices such as drones to servers. In the space sector, PQC will be used in communication between satellites, ground stations, and control systems to develop security technologies specialized for the space environment.

The government aims to achieve nationwide self-sufficiency in core PQC technologies by 2030 through these pilot projects.

First, the government plans to develop a 'PQC Autonomous Transition Platform' that performs everything from detecting cryptographic assets to automatic transition and operational monitoring. The goal is to automate the encryption transition process, which currently relies on manual work by each institution, thereby reducing errors and increasing speed.

Additionally, the government will promote the development of ultra-lightweight PQC technologies that can run on low-spec IC chips used in credit cards and passports, a PQC cryptographic module verification system, and hybrid security technologies that combine quantum key distribution (QKD) with PQC.

Lim Junggyu stated, "The advances in AI and quantum technologies pose a major cybersecurity threat to existing encryption systems. Quantum security is no longer a choice, but an essential task to protect national security and the everyday lives of our citizens." He added, "By completing the entire PQC technology cycle and achieving self-sufficiency by 2030, we will become a global leader in quantum security."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.