The government will cooperate with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to strengthen information security capabilities in the shipbuilding and port industry.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said it signed a memorandum of understanding between KISA and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries at the company's Ulsan headquarters on April 21, together with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). It said the agreement aims to strengthen information security capabilities at small and medium-sized companies in the smart shipbuilding and port industry and to build a security ecosystem for regional strategic industries.

As the shipbuilding industry's digital transformation accelerates, cyber supply-chain attacks that go through or target partner companies with relatively weak security infrastructure are emerging as a key issue.

The agreement is the first step to fully launch the information security industry promotion plan announced at the seventh meeting of science and technology-related ministers on April 16. Its purpose is to strengthen the domestic shipbuilding industry's cybersecurity capabilities and broaden the base of the security industry through public-private cooperation.

KISA and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will join forces to raise the security level of small partner companies in the regional shipbuilding industry through activities such as raising information security awareness among partner companies in the shipbuilding industry, diagnosing and supporting improvements of information security vulnerabilities, and sharing cyber threat information and building a cooperation system in the shipbuilding sector.

Following the agreement, the ministry and KISA will expand tailored information security support for partner companies in the regional shipbuilding industry. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to ensure thorough dissemination of cyber threat information to its partners and the establishment of a cyber defence system.

Choi Woo-hyuk (최우혁), director-general of the Information Security and Network Policy Bureau at the ministry, said strengthening information security capabilities at partners in regional strategic industries is an essential factor for stable digital transformation across the industry. He said the ministry will solidify a field-oriented information security support model tailored to the characteristics of strategic industries by region to create a safe digital environment across industrial sites nationwide.