"Korea possesses unrivaled technological capabilities in homomorphic encryption. This year will mark the first year of its commercialization."
Chun Jung-hee, CEO of CryptoLab, said this in a recent interview with the Seoul Economic Daily at Seoul National University. CryptoLab is a startup founded by Chun, a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Seoul National University, and holds foundational patents in homomorphic encryption. Gartner, the global information technology research firm, selected CryptoLab as a leading company in homomorphic encryption technology. CryptoLab was the first Korean startup to be named in Gartner's innovative technology category.
The recognition reflects CryptoLab's outstanding technological capabilities in homomorphic encryption. Homomorphic encryption is a security technology that can defend against hacking attacks via quantum computers, much like post-quantum cryptography designed based on mathematical problems that are difficult to solve even with quantum computers. Its key feature is the ability to combine and analyze data while it remains encrypted. Previously, encryption had to be removed to combine and analyze data, creating a risk of information leakage. With homomorphic encryption, analysis is possible without decrypting data, significantly reducing leakage risk. "Homomorphic encryption is like putting your hand inside a safe and manipulating what's inside without seeing it," Chun said. "Since you can work without viewing the original data, the range of applications for confidential information expands greatly."
This technology has already been implemented as a real-world service. CryptoLab developed an application called "Codongi" during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The app encrypted users' smartphone GPS data with homomorphic encryption, then combined it with confirmed patient movement data to provide real-time contact tracing. "If people thought the government could see their location data, some users such as criminals would refuse to use the app," Chun explained. "We launched an app that resolved this concern by encrypting location data, and Gyeonggi Province adopted it."
Recently, CryptoLab has also been conducting a pilot project to apply homomorphic encryption technology to LG Uplus's artificial intelligence call agent ixi-O. ixi-O is a service that generates various call data on-device, such as converting voice calls into text. LG Uplus plans to integrate homomorphic encryption so that call data is stored in an encrypted state, allowing users to search for keywords within call content without decrypting the data.
CryptoLab's focus on homomorphic encryption stems from the fact that advances in quantum computing will render existing security systems ineffective. "When quantum computers arrive, even public certificate encryption could be cracked within a day," Chun warned. "It would even become possible to figure out a password just by looking at a Bitcoin wallet address." He was particularly critical of the reactive approach to security. "Hackers typically wait until leaked data accumulates to a certain volume before belatedly announcing the breach," he said. "Considering this, preemptive security measures are necessary, but Korea keeps responding after the fact, amplifying the damage." Chun stressed, "A fully commercialized application of this technology must emerge this year. Korea may not be able to be number one in AI, but it can be number one in security and data protection."
Beyond telecommunications, Chun identifies healthcare and finance as fields with high demand for homomorphic encryption. "In the United States, it takes more than a year just to obtain permission to review relevant data to find eligible patients before conducting clinical trials for new treatments or therapies," he said. "With homomorphic encryption, patient data can be securely reviewed and clinical trial participants can be recruited quickly, which is why the medical community is highly interested in this technology." CryptoLab has been in discussions since last year with Professor Son Jae-ho of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) on applying homomorphic encryption to clinical trials. CryptoLab and Professor Son are conducting joint research to encrypt patient information and match patients with hospitals and faculty while protecting personal data.