Research institutions join forces to enhance space security of South Korea

By Chanwoo Yong, The Readable
Mar. 7, 2024 9:08PM GMT+9

Two South Korean research institutions are set to collaborate with the goal of enhancing the nation’s defense capabilities in space and cybersecurity.

On March 5, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) revealed it had signed a letter of intent with the Defense Security Institute (DSI) to facilitate the exchange of research and technology in military defense. ETRI stated that this partnership aims to support research and development (R&D) efforts in space and cybersecurity for military applications.

Both agencies are renowned institutions in the field of cybersecurity within Korea. ETRI is a public research institution dedicated to various innovative domains, including information and communication technology. Meanwhile, the DSI is linked to the Defense Counterintelligence Command and focuses on investigating potential threats arising from advanced technologies.

ETRI announced that the two institutions will collaborate to further R&D efforts in the military’s space and cybersecurity fields. As part of this collaboration, ETRI will leverage its security technologies to aid in the deployment of the military’s advanced weapons systems. Together, they will work on integrating security solutions, developed through R&D, into sophisticated weapon systems. Additionally, the partnership will concentrate on developing a security technology roadmap for the military’s communication and reconnaissance satellites.

The Warfare Technology Research Center at ETRI refrained from sharing additional information with The Readable, citing the confidential nature of the research.

“By partnering with the DSI, known for its expertise in defense security technologies and frameworks, ETRI is set to spearhead the research and development of satellite security technologies. Our focus will also extend to integrating these technologies into military weapons systems, positioning us at the forefront of national cybersecurity,” stated Cho Il-yeon, the Senior Vice President of the Artificial Intelligence Computing Research Laboratory at ETRI.

According to the statement, ETRI is currently engaged in developing military technologies as part of a project launched by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Within this project, the public research institution is focusing on technologies that can identify and proactively respond to threat scenarios in cyber warfare. Additionally, ETRI is working on technologies aimed at preventing denial-of-service attacks, which are often perpetrated by malicious bots in the cyber battlefield.

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The cover image of this article was designed by Areum Hwang. This article was edited by Dain Oh and copyedited by Arthur Gregory Willers.

Chanwoo Yong is a reporting intern for The Readable. Majoring in cybersecurity at Korea University, Yong has an intense interest in cybercrime and cybercriminals as well as a passion for making cybersecurity and its surrounding issues understandable to the general reader. Yong aspires to become a bridge between cybersecurity experts and the public by translating the experts’ language into layman’s terms the public can understand. Yong has worked as a data engineer for an AI Platform belonging to Korea University Anam Hospital, where he participated in research titled “Deep Learning-Based Prediction Model for Gait Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury.”