Naver Cloud has partnered with Korea University to jointly pursue a large-scale core defense artificial intelligence (AI) project worth a total of 20 billion won.
Naver Cloud said on the 21st that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for industry-academia cooperation in the defense C5ISRT field with the C5ISRT Convergence Research Center of the Department of Defense Technology Management at Korea University's Graduate School of Technology Management on the 20th of this month. C5ISRT refers to an advanced command-and-control and battlefield awareness system that integrates command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting—the core of modern military strategy.
Korea University's C5ISRT Research Center is regarded as the most authoritative specialized research organization in defense technology, led by Professor Kang Seok-joong, who has built nearly 40 years of unrivaled research achievements in the field of defense technology management. Professor Kang has long researched the entire spectrum of defense technology management, including defense acquisition systems, command-and-control systems, and defense industry security, carrying out various research and advisory activities in the defense policy and technology fields.
Going forward, the two sides will pursue: cooperation on the "JCS Military-Industry-Academia Cooperation Center" among defense AI transformation (AX) hubs; joint implementation of "hyperscale AI-based command-and-control system technology"; and advance research and development of core technologies needed for the 2027 Korea Joint Command and Control System (KCCS) project.
The "JCS Military-Industry-Academia Cooperation Center" is one of five regional sites where the Ministry of National Defense will establish key hubs for civil-military AI cooperation using defense data. The ministry plans to build AX hubs in five regions nationwide: Yongsan in Seoul (Joint Chiefs of Staff), Pangyo and Daejeon (Army), Yangjae (Air Force), and Busan (Navy and Marine Corps). Naver Cloud plans to participate in building the JCS AX hub together with Korea University, establishing a joint research system with the military and focusing on discovering and validating specialized AI technologies.
In addition, the two organizations will jointly carry out a research project to build shared and standard defense platforms, and will also jointly operate an educational program to train experts in defense technology and the defense industry. Based on this, they plan to actively develop defense AX projects worth approximately 20 billion won.
Kim Yu-won, CEO of Naver Cloud, said, "The defense field is one where not only outstanding technological capabilities but also a cooperative ecosystem tightly connecting research institutions, industry, and the military are important. Through cooperation with Korea University's C5ISRT Research Center, which has led defense research, we will expand our foundation for participating in core defense projects and contribute to strengthening the Republic of Korea's defense AI competitiveness."
Kang Seok-joong, professor at Korea University's Graduate School of Technology Management, stressed, "The battlefield environment has recently been changing rapidly toward intelligent C5ISRT systems based on AI and data, and for our military to respond to this trend, projects must be pursued that converge advanced AI technology with expertise in the Korean Peninsula's military security environment. Cooperation with Naver Cloud is an important starting point for building the Republic of Korea's defense AX ecosystem, and we will create a leading defense industry-academia cooperation model that encompasses everything from research and development to validation, commercialization, and expert training."
