South Korea opens AI cyber center to guard school networks

South Korea's Ministry of Education is extending an AI-powered cybersecurity system to private cloud services used by educational institutions, as confirmed cyberattacks on schools rose 36% last year, the Korea Times reported.

The expansion signals escalating digital threats to academic institutions as South Korean schools accelerate adoption of AI-based learning platforms — a development closely watched by Korean-American families who maintain educational ties to South Korea.

The AI Cyber Security Center, operated by Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), formally opened April 23 with a mandate to monitor 435 institutions including universities and regional education offices in real time, according to the Korea Times.

In 2025, the system flagged approximately 480 million cyberthreat indicators across those institutions. About 86,000 were confirmed as actual intrusions and addressed — a 36% jump from 63,000 confirmed cases in 2024.

Of the 435 monitored institutions, 158 currently use private cloud services. A pilot program that began in July 2025 connected the detection infrastructure with three major providers — NAVER, NHN and KT. The Ministry of Education plans to expand that network to seven cloud providers by the end of 2026.

The monitoring technology was developed in-house by KERIS and is registered as South Korea's first patent in AI-powered security monitoring, the Korea Times reported. Beginning in 2027, the system will extend to cover regional education offices nationwide.

The Ministry of Education said the center's real-time capabilities are designed to keep pace with evolving threats as AI-based teaching and learning platforms spread across South Korean schools, according to the Korea Times.