KT Corp invests over W100b in cybersecurity for 4th straight year

127.6 billion won invested in information security last year

In-house experts form backbone of security operations

'Information Security Week' campaign aims to embed security culture

KT Corp CEO Park Yun-young, Chief Information Security Officer Lee Sang-un and Chief Privacy Officer Kim Chang-o attend the inaugural meeting of KT's Personal Data Protection Advisory Committee, where they discuss plans to strengthen the company's privacy governance framework. [KT Corp]

KT Corp invested 127.6 billion won ($83.3 million) in information security last year, maintaining annual spending above 100 billion won for the fourth consecutive year. The company said it plans to build on that commitment by developing in-house security talent and spreading a company-wide security culture to lead what it calls the highest level of information security innovation among domestic carriers.

KT made the announcement Wednesday, on Information Security Day, saying it is advancing its security investment, internal talent development and security culture initiatives to rebuild customer trust and strengthen its competitive edge in the AI era.

The 127.6 billion won figure, based on fiscal year 2025, marks the fourth straight year KT has exceeded 100 billion won in annual information security spending — the largest among South Korean telecommunications companies.

KT said it is also deepening its security expertise, with in-house specialists now accounting for more than half of its dedicated security workforce. Of its 317 information security personnel, 164 are internal experts. The company views security as a field requiring deep organizational knowledge and accumulated experience, and operates a system in which in-house professionals handle everything from strategy development to core system protection and incident response.

KT said it is also building a mid-to-long-term pipeline for security professionals. The company runs a tailored security academy for IT and network developers and is working with Seoul National University to establish a contract-based academic program in information security, with the aim of continuously developing top security talent.

Marking Information Security Day, KT launched a month-long "Information Security Week" campaign in July. The initiative is designed to embed security not as a set of rules but as a natural part of daily work culture, giving employees hands-on exposure to security practices in their everyday tasks. The company said it plans to expand such participatory campaigns going forward to deepen security awareness across the workforce.

KT is also pursuing a broad overhaul of its security framework based on recommendations issued last year by a joint public-private investigation team. The effort centers on restructuring its management systems in the wake of a security breach and on strengthening information security governance and supply chain asset management. The goal is to establish an information security framework optimized for KT's environment and to systematically implement and monitor company-wide recurrence-prevention measures.

KT is also continuing its shift from a reactive, incident-response model to a prevention-first security posture. Key initiatives include expanding a zero-trust-based continuous prevention and preemptive response system and advancing AI-driven security technology. The company has also appointed a dedicated Chief Privacy Officer and launched a Personal Data Protection Advisory Committee to strengthen its privacy governance.

KT Corp CEO Park Yun-young (third from left, front row) and Yeom Heung-yeol, chair of KT's Personal Data Protection Advisory Committee, pose with officials at the committee's inaugural ceremony. [KT Corp]

KT is also reinforcing field-level security governance. Chief Information Security Officer Lee Sang-un personally visited a series of key facilities to assess on-the-ground security operations — including the Mokdong data center, which handles sensitive personal data; the East Core Operations Center in Busan, the frontline against overseas cyberattacks; the Metropolitan Control Center in Guro; and the West Core Operations Center in Daejeon, which oversees critical backbone infrastructure.

KT had earlier announced plans to invest a total of about 12 trillion won over three years in information security, IT and network operations — the areas it identifies as the foundation for growth. Of that, 4 trillion won is earmarked for information security and IT innovation, guided by the zero-trust principle of never assuming trust and always verifying thoroughly.

"In the AI era, constant prevention and preemptive response matter far more than reacting after an incident," Lee said. "KT will go beyond simply strengthening security technology — we will build an information security foundation where the organization, people and systems all work together, and emerge as the AI transformation platform company that customers trust most."

chami@heraldcorp.com