South Korea
NIST bloc Standard-contextualiserSouth Korea's transition is led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, which is building a national post-quantum cryptography transition infrastructure including a national PQC body, with budget allocated for the move. The Korea Internet and Security Agency runs the annual sector-by-sector PQC pilot transition programme, which began in 2025 with energy, medical and public administration and was extended in 2026 to telecom, finance, transport, defence and space, and it has now started constructing a joint-certificate public-key infrastructure to support the transition. Korean guidance applies both the NIST post-quantum standards and domestic Korean post-quantum algorithms.
Governance credibility
| Criterion | Score | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | 2.0 / 2 | Medium |
| Coherence | 1.5 / 2 | Medium |
| Effectiveness | 1.5 / 2 | Medium |
| Efficiency | 2.0 / 2 | Medium |
| Governance | 2.0 / 2 | Medium |
| Impact | 2.0 / 2 | Medium |
Regulatory basis
- KCMVP cryptographic module validation (government)
- KpqC national algorithm selections (2025: NTRU+, SMAUG-T, AIMer, HAETAE)
- MSIT national PQC transition programme (2025-2035)
Legal status: Binding
Government cryptographic modules must pass KCMVP validation, which selects the national KpqC algorithms; the MSIT programme runs phased sector pilots to 2035. There is no economy-wide statutory mandate.
Standards and algorithms
No standards or algorithms specified.
Hybrid stance
None stated
Migration timeline
- 2025Sector-by-sector PQC pilot transition support programme launched (energy, medical, public administration)
- 2026PQC pilot transition project extended to telecom, finance, transport, defence and space sectors, with a re-recruitment of participating companies
- 2026Construction of a joint-certificate PKI infrastructure for the PQC transition, running through 30 November 2026
Target completion: None stated
Governmental and standards bodies
- MSIT Ministry of Science and ICT, establishing the national post-quantum cryptography transition infrastructure and a national PQC body, with budget allocated for the transition, and co-issuing the 2026 pilot transition re-recruitment
- KISA Korea Internet & Security Agency, reference guidance on post-quantum cryptography, the annual sector-by-sector PQC pilot transition support programmes, and the construction of joint-certificate PKI infrastructure for the transition
Key institutional documents
- (Re-announcement) Construction of joint-certificate PKI infrastructure for the post-quantum cryptography transition
- Preparing for the quantum threat: national core industries move to shift their cryptography
- 2026 Post-Quantum Cryptography Pilot Transition Project: Re-recruitment of Participating Companies
- US House introduces the Post Quantum Cybersecurity Standards Act (7 May 2025)
- National achievements: expansion of post-quantum cryptography pilot transition and start of technology development
- MSIT to Invest KRW 8.12 Trillion in 2026 to Drive Science and ICT, including transition to post-quantum cryptography
- MSIT to establish a National Post-Quantum Cryptography transition infrastructure
- First demonstration case of applying post-quantum cryptography to a commercial ICT product
- 2025 Post-Quantum Cryptography Pilot Transition Performance-Sharing Event (3 Dec)
- 2026 Post-Quantum Cryptography Pilot Transition Project: Briefing Session (28 Jan, FKI Tower, Seoul)
- 2025 Post-Quantum Cryptography Pilot Transition Support Project: Call for Participating Companies (revised)
- 2026 Post-Quantum Cryptography Pilot Transition Project: Call for Participating Companies (FAQ added)
- Next-generation cryptography: Post-Quantum Cryptography
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