Food and drug safety ministry adds cybersecurity staff amid AI risks

The food and drug safety ministry said Friday it will add one dedicated information security official to its workforce as South Korea faces rising cyber risks from artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

The adjustment brings the agency's total authorized headcount to 689, up from 688, with the new role filled by a Grade 6 civil servant focused on protecting sensitive data. The increase in general service staff moves the count for that category from 687 to 688.

The change is part of a broader government effort to revise 36 laws and decrees to bolster defenses against personal information leaks and attacks on state computer systems. According to the filing, the revisions are driven by the rapid spread of AI technologies, the expansion of cloud services, and a shift toward platform-based economies that have increased the volume of high-risk personal data processing.

A presidential decree on the revisions takes effect August 28. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety are also receiving additional staff to manage these escalating digital threats under the same legislative package.