Naver Cloud will establish a dedicated security strategy unit this month to respond to security threats in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). It has brought on Executive Vice President Kim Jin-hwi, a security expert from the National Intelligence Service, to lead the unit. With the spread of AI rapidly changing the landscape of cyberattacks and defense, the move is seen as an effort to strengthen security leadership.
According to reporting compiled by ChosunBiz on the 9th, the new unit will serve as the control tower overseeing Naver Cloud's AI security policies and response system, and the head position has been set at the executive vice president level. It is expected to focus on enhancing the security of AI services and upgrading AI-based threat detection and response systems. Strengthening preemptive response capabilities—such as analyzing hacking groups' attack patterns and predicting potential breaches in advance—also appears likely to be a key task.
A cloud industry official said, "As Generative AI rapidly spreads across services and corporations' work environments, new threats are emerging that are difficult to handle with existing information protection systems alone," and added, "I understand that this assessment is reflected in the creation of the new unit."
Kim, the executive vice president hired by Naver Cloud, worked for more than 17 years at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) National Cybersecurity Center, where Kim handled the establishment of nationwide cyber defense policies and crisis response systems. Before the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Kim handled security duties at Nexon Korea and SK Telecom. Based on roughly 24 years of experience spanning the public and private sectors, Kim is seen as the right person to lead the development of security strategies and organizational operations suited to the AI era. Kim is scheduled to begin work on the 13th.
Some analysts say Naver Cloud's decision to set up a separate security strategy unit reflects a sense of urgency that the cybersecurity environment is being rapidly reshaped by the spread of AI. The World Economic Forum (WEF) also released its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 report earlier this year, assessing that "AI is enhancing defensive capabilities while also making attack methods more sophisticated." In other words, AI is simultaneously increasing the speed and scope of cyber risks.
A security industry official said, "In the past, people attacked and people defended, but recently AI has been used to create malware, generate phishing language, and search for vulnerabilities, greatly increasing the speed and sophistication of attacks," and added, "On the defense side as well, technologies for anomaly detection, automated response, and attack prediction using AI are advancing rapidly, making it highly likely that the security market will effectively be reshaped into an 'AI vs. AI' competitive landscape."
A Naver Cloud official said, "With the launch of this unit, we will not only showcase the safest AI technologies but also lead the market by providing AI-based security services that customers can trust and use."