The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) said Monday it will expand its pilot conversion project for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) targeting the nation's critical infrastructure and will newly launch a related commercialization R&D project. The move responds to the threat of cryptographic systems being rendered obsolete, which has emerged amid the rapid advancement of quantum computing technology combined with artificial intelligence (AI).
Following last year's implementation targeting key infrastructure in the energy, medical, and administrative sectors, this year's pilot conversion support project has been expanded to five core sectors: telecommunications, finance, transportation, defense, and space. The objective is to actually apply PQC in these sectors, analyze technical problems and solutions that arise, and derive a pilot model that establishes conversion procedures.
PQC is a next-generation cryptographic technology that uses far more complex mathematical structures (such as lattice and hash-based schemes) than currently used public-key cryptographic algorithms (such as prime factorization and discrete logarithms), making it difficult to decrypt even with quantum computers.
The companies finally selected to implement PQC in each sector are Dream Security in telecommunications, KSmartech in finance, Mobilitus in transportation, Daeyoung S-Tek in defense, and a consortium led by KSign in space.
They plan to pilot-convert the cryptographic systems of, respectively, the National Science and Technology Research Network (KREONET) operated by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information; Hana Card's card payment infrastructure; the next-generation intelligent transportation system infrastructure in Pangyo Zero City run by Gyeonggi Province and the Korea Road Traffic Authority; the Ministry of National Defense's Smart Unit Integrated Platform; and Contec's satellite communication infrastructure, into PQC-based systems.
In addition, the ministry will newly pursue R&D projects in PQC conversion, verification, and core technologies. Beyond simple pilot applications, the goal is to secure core technologies covering the entire process, from automatically identifying vast vulnerable cryptographic assets within systems to rapid cryptographic system conversion and operational and stability verification.
The new projects include four initiatives: building an autonomous PQC conversion and integrated management platform, developing PQC optimization technology for ultra-lightweight hardware, developing PQC cryptographic module implementation conformance verification technology, and developing core PQC-QKD combination technology.
"Quantum security is no longer a choice but an essential core task for protecting national security and the daily lives of our citizens," Lim Jung-kyu, Director General for Information Security and Network Policy at MSIT, said Monday. "Through this pilot conversion across the five sectors, we will secure a PQC conversion reference, and by completing full-cycle PQC technology self-reliance by 2030, we will elevate Korea into a world-class quantum security powerhouse."
