Land ministry adds staff to handle rising cyber risks

The land ministry said Friday it will expand its workforce to better respond to increasing cybersecurity threats and personal data breaches driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Under a presidential decree taking effect Aug. 28, the ministry will add three new civil servant positions while reallocating one existing role from its affiliated agencies to focus on privacy protection duties. The total headcount at the ministry's headquarters will rise to 1,038 from 1,034, though the overall staffing level for its affiliated organizations will drop by one to 2,553. The new headquarters roles include one Grade 5 official, two Grade 6 officials and one Grade 9 official, with the lowest-ranking position transferred rather than newly created.

The revisions cover 36 separate laws and are part of a broader government effort to bolster information security across 20 central administrative bodies, addressing vulnerabilities exposed by the transition to a platform-based economy. The government cited the need for swift response capabilities as large-scale, high-risk personal data processing increases alongside AI adoption.