South Korea's National Cybersecurity Strategy in Responding to North Korean Cyber Attacks During Moon Jae-in's Administration

Farah Anasti Fauzan, Mansur Juned

Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta

This study examines the implementation of South Korea's National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCSS) in response to North Korean cyberattacks during President Moon Jae-in's administration (2019–2022). The escalating intensity of North Korean cyber operations, targeting South Korea's government, critical infrastructure, and financial sectors, prompted the state to formulate a comprehensive national cybersecurity policy. Using a descriptive qualitative approach with a case study method grounded in document analysis, this study analyzes how the 2019 NCSS was implemented as a strategic policy response to persistent cyber threats. The findings indicate that the NCSS 2019, through its six main pillars-critical infrastructure protection, enhanced response capacity, collaborative governance, cybersecurity industry innovation, cybersecurity culture development, and global leadership-served as a strategic framework that strengthened institutional coordination and the direction of South Korea's cybersecurity governance in addressing North Korean cyber threats. However, the policy demonstrated effectiveness primarily in threat management and response rather than in threat prevention, as cyberattacks from North Korea will continue into the post-implementation period (2023–2024). This study contributes to cybersecurity policy analysis by demonstrating how securitization theory illuminates the elevation of cyber issues to national security priorities and highlights the gap between normative policy frameworks and operational implementation.

Article link: https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/JSParchives/south-korea's-national-cybersecurity-strategy-in-responding-to-north-korean-cyber-attacks-during-moon-jae-in's-administration-