Securing South Korea's Digital Infrastructure in the AI Era
About this Event
The global cybersecurity landscape has experienced a fundamental paradigm shift driven by the rapid advancement of frontier AI models. The announcement and phased rollout of Anthropic’s Mythos model has received the greatest attention, highlighting both the risk of AI-enabled threats to critical digital infrastructure and the urgent need for governments and critical infrastructure providers to adopt AI-powered tools for cyber defense. Recognizing this, in May, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced changes to its network separation rules to allow the country’s financial sector to leverage AI-driven cloud cyber defense tools capable of countering cyberattacks from advanced AI models. In June, several Korean organizations were brought into Project Glasswing, an Anthropic-led initiative under which tech sector and critical infrastructure cyber defenders can use Mythos to research and implement defensive capabilities adapted for the AI era.
Despite this, South Korea’s efforts to enhance the resilience of its public sector and other critical digital infrastructure remain fragmented. The country’s cyber regulatory ecosystem retains an emphasis on legacy requirements and physical separation that undermine the ability of South Korean entities to access global-standard frontier models and cloud cyber defense capabilities. The country’s approach also represents a barrier to deeper collaboration in the U.S.-ROK tech and cyber relationship, including through mechanisms like the U.S.-ROK Cyber Policy Consultations, ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation on cyber threats, and the U.S.-ROK Technology Prosperity Deal.
Please join the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) in-person on Tuesday, June 23 from 2:00pm to 3:15pm for an expert discussion on how South Korea can secure its digital infrastructure, facilitate bilateral cooperation and public-private partnerships, and prepare for a new wave of AI-driven threats.
Agenda
2:00pm: Welcome Remarks
- Doug Strub, Senior Director, Research & Programs, The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)
2:05pm: Panel Discussion and Q&A
- Nigel Cory, Director, Digital, Trade, and Technology Policy, Crowell Global Advisors; Nonresident Fellow, NBR
- Chris Cornillie, Cybersecurity Policy Lead, Google Cloud
- Additional speaker TBC
- Jonathon Marek, Assistant Director, Technology and Geoeconomic Affairs, NBR (moderator)
3:15pm: Event Concludes
Speakers
Nigel Cory is Director of Digital, Trade, and Technology Policy at Crowell Global Advisors, where he focuses on cross-border data flows, data governance, intellectual property, and how they each relate to digital trade and the digital economy. He is also a Nonresident Fellow at NBR. Previously, he held positions at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Chris Cornillie is Cybersecurity Policy Lead at Google Cloud. Previously, he worked at Bloomberg Government as an expert on U.S. federal information technology policy and acquisition. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he was an analyst with Gartner, where he advised clients on best practices in information security. He also previously served in technology research roles at Atlantic Media and The Aspen Institute.
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