KISA to restructure to focus on IoT, security

The Korea Internet & Security Agency said Wednesday that it would reorganize its key divisions by the end of the month to better handle emerging technologies related to the Internet of Things and online security.

KISA CEO Baik Kee-seung, who took helm of the agency that promotes cybersecurity and Web-based businesses last September, said the new technology environment requires the organization to dump old mindsets and tackle problems through collaboration.

“We have asked ourselves whether KISA and Korea’s Internet industry can sustain with the current system,” Baik said at his first news conference.

“We have to change and solve problems by converging the capabilities of people, units or industries with diverse expertise.”

KISA will foremost focus on supporting tech start-ups in the IoT and security protection sectors as it starts anew after its reorganization next year.

It will restructure its main Internet development division to set up an IoT industry promotion and IoT security units.

“KISA will work with the National IT Industry Promotion Agency and the National Information Society Agency to develop the country’s IoT industry,” Baik said.

Also, KISA will reorganize the agency’s information security division to raise awareness of the importance of security protection and better preemptive steps to counter rising threats such as cyberhacking, personal information theft and the spread of viruses.

This is in line with plans to develop the security protection industry to reach 14 trillion won ($13 billion) in value by 2017 from 7 trillion won last year.

The reorganization plan follows the government proposal to unify security protection oversights by different state agencies under KISA.

“We will aim to globally standardize Korea’s information protection software technology by working closely with other countries, international organizations and development banks,” Baik said.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)