Global cybersecurity talents to gather in Seoul Aug. 24~25

CODEGATE 2022 held in COEX, Seoul in Nov. 2022. [Courtesy of Hancom Group]

The world’s leading white hat hackers and cybersecurity experts will gather in Seoul later this month to discuss the future of cybersecurity and share insights.

According to the CODEGATE Security Forum on Thursday, CODEGATE 2023, a global information technology (IT) and security conference, will be held between August 24 and 25 in Seoul.

The event is hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and co-organized by CODEGATE Security Forum, Maekyung Media Group, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).

Founded by Hancom Group Chairman Kim Sang-chul in 2008, the annual global conference is renowned for organizing one of the top three international hacking defense competitions, while also sharing security trends and nurturing talent every year.

Marking its 15th year, the event will be held with the theme of “Security Paradigm in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).” Given the rapidly changing digital landscape, including the rise of generative AI, the forum will focus on countering cyberattacks and security threats enabled by AI.

During the hacking defense competition that will be held on the first day, some 100 participants from 80 countries, chosen from the initial 3,547 entrants in the June preliminaries, will showcase their skills for 24 hours.

In the adult finals, seven collaborative teams comprising members from two or more countries, such as the U.S.-Canada-UK alliance and the Korea-China alliance, have qualified for the finals, competing for 50 million won ($38,000) prize.

In the junior finals, featuring 20 participants, the competition will unfold over a 12-hour span.

On the forum’s second day, discussions will be held on the future of cybersecurity, featuring speeches from specialists and panel discussions.

Luke McNamara, principal analyst at Google LLC, will share insights on how to prepare for new threats in cyberspace.

Panel discussions on how to foster cybersecurity talent in Korea are scheduled as well, led by participants including Professor Lim Jong-in from Korea University, Park Chan-am, chief executive officer of Stealien Inc., and Park Se-joon, CEO of Theori Inc.