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The Korea Information Security Industry Association (KISIA) is pursuing membership in the Naver Cloud consortium developing the South Korean government’s cybersecurity-focused AI foundation model. KISIA previously participated in the bid as part of the SK Telecom consortium but was not selected. Now it aims to contribute to the “K-Mythos” project by pooling security data and domain expertise held by its roughly 340 member companies. KISIA is also independently operating an AI Security Intelligence Council and building a verification framework for South Korean-made security solutions. The association additionally discussed procurement price adjustments amid soaring hardware costs and strategies to counter the expanding presence of global security firms in the South Korean market.
Key Elements
The Korea Information Security Industry Association (KISIA) is pursuing a path to join the Naver Cloud consortium developing the government-led “cybersecurity-focused AI foundation model.” KISIA previously participated in the bid as part of the SK Telecom consortium but fell short. Now it aims to contribute to the development of “K-Mythos,” the South Korean counterpart to Anthropic’s Mythos, by pooling security data and domain knowledge held by its roughly 340 member companies.
Kim Jin-soo, chairman of KISIA, said at a press conference in Seoul on the 14th, “KISIA is exploring ways to join and contribute to the Naver Cloud consortium,” adding, “With AI-driven security threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, K-Mythos is absolutely necessary, and we are working through internal processes to enable cooperation.”
The project, spearheaded by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, centers on developing a South Korean security-focused foundation model to counter Anthropic’s next-generation AI model “Mythos.” The Naver Cloud consortium, selected as the final contractor, plans to build an AI security model with offensive and defensive capabilities based on Naver’s “HyperCLOVA X” and LG’s “ExaOne,” utilizing 256 government-provided GPUs.
Reflecting on the SK Telecom consortium bid, Chairman Kim explained, “Information provided to participating companies at the government level was limited, so we were unable to closely assess the security vendor participation in the Naver Cloud consortium.” He emphasized, however, that “although we were not selected for the final project consortium, KISIA is an association of security companies, and each company has information and data it can contribute in its own way.”
Bae Jung-seop, executive vice chairman of KISIA, identified data provision and professional workforce development as specific areas where KISIA can contribute. “There are numerous companies that could not be listed individually in the consortium, and they too hold substantial data that can contribute to developing a security-focused model,” he said. “Whichever consortium builds a security-focused AI model, domain knowledge and the role of security companies within the consortium will be significant.”
Responding to a question about compensation mechanisms for data sharing, Choi Young-chul, senior vice chairman of KISIA, said, “This is a business relationship between the operator building the specialized foundation model and the companies providing data.” He added, “If we consider ways to reward companies in proportion to the data they share, a viable business model could emerge.”
AI Security Council and Hardware Price Response
Independently of government project participation, KISIA is also operating its own AI security threat response framework. Chairman Kim announced that the “AI Security Intelligence Council” was launched in June with its first meeting already held. Park Chan-am, CEO of Stealien, serves as chair, with the second and third meetings scheduled before year-end.
The council’s primary objective is sharing AI-driven threat intelligence. Chairman Kim explained, “Establishing an in-house security verification framework for South Korean-made information security solutions is also one of its special purposes,” adding that “it will play a role in proactively identifying and responding to threat vectors that may be embedded in domestic security products.”
Addressing criticism that the official launch of the council, dubbed “K-Glasswing,” has been delayed, he said, “We held the first meeting in the second half of the year and formed working groups. The council will now begin operating in earnest around these groups.” Quoting Chairman Park, he added, “K-Glasswing’s importance lies in sharing diverse threat intelligence systems to respond preemptively and react to potential threats.”
Regarding the incorporated association Project Plasma having launched the AI security alliance “Canopy” ahead of KISIA, he commented, “Rather than viewing this as a fragmentation of responses, I believe having multiple related projects is meaningful. From a diversity standpoint, I think this direction is the right one.”
Meanwhile, KISIA is also discussing ways to ease the burden on member companies from soaring hardware prices, including servers. Vice Chairman Bae said, “There has been considerable discussion since the beginning of the year about the sharp rise in hardware prices, and there were voices calling for cooperation with the Public Procurement Service to either receive compensation for distributed hardware or have costs reflected in procurement.”
During consultations with the Public Procurement Service, the agency indicated it would reflect costs in procurement prices if individual companies disclosed their cost structures, but progress stalled as companies balked at exposing trade secrets. Vice Chairman Bae added, “It’s not a perfect solution, but we are continuing efforts to reflect the surging costs, and we plan to discuss whether there are viable institutional mechanisms.” He noted that some companies have successfully presented their individual cost structures to the procurement agency and achieved price adjustments.
Government’s Role and Global Competitive Landscape
Chairman Kim said he emphasized the government’s role during a meeting with South Korea’s National Security Office. “For our security companies to grow, individual corporate efforts are necessary, but it is crucial for the government to play a priming role,” he said. “I conveyed the message that the government must be a good customer.”
He also raised concerns about the expanding presence of global security firms in the South Korean market. Chairman Kim explained, “Global security companies are making significant inroads, particularly in the financial sector, and we pointed out as a shortcoming that adopting institutions are not clearly disclosing their solution adoption criteria.”
Choi Young-chul, senior vice chairman, assessed, “Following Mythos, the emergence of OpenAI’s Astra and other AI-driven security threats has caused market disruption. Even the United States is still in the preparation stage of determining what AI security policies are needed.” He stressed, however, that “South Korean security companies are not inferior to global security firms and possess sufficient capabilities to respond effectively,” adding that “an alliance of domestic security companies can be stronger than the integrated security frameworks offered by global players.”
Demand shifts driven by tightening regulations are also being observed. Chairman Kim said, “The sectors benefiting most within the security industry appear to be consulting, penetration testing, and vulnerability analysis. We’ve even heard from the field that there is a shortage of personnel to the point where firms cannot take on additional work.” He added, “Active consulting business leads to solution adoption, and we expect gradual growth in the South Korean security ecosystem going forward.”
On overseas expansion, he identified Japan and Indonesia as key markets. Chairman Kim said, “Japan is the single country where South Korea generates the most global cybersecurity revenue. We are preparing meetup days where companies that have successfully launched in the Japanese market can share insights with latecomers.” KISIA plans to concentrate its efforts on an upcoming local event scheduled for next month.
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