The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) said on the 10th that six teams made up of mentors and graduates from the Best of the Best (BoB) next-generation security leader training program advanced to the finals of the world's top international hacking competition, "DEFCON CTF 34 in 2026," and posted top-tier results.
In particular, the team "0x4b52," led by mentor Lee Jong-ho and KAIST professor Yun In-su, and the team "SuperDiceCodeLovers," led by mentor Kim Ji-seop, placed second and third, respectively.
The Defconn international hacking competition is the world's most prestigious international hacking tournament held during Defconn, the largest cybersecurity conference in the United States.
This year's finals were held in Las Vegas from Aug. 6 to 9. Top-tier white-hat hackers and security experts from around the world who passed the online qualifiers competed in attack and defense techniques and problem-solving abilities.
Choi Woo-hyuk, director general for information security network policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Korean information security talent once again proved outstanding skills and competitiveness at the world's most prestigious international hacking competition," and added, "In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), we will continue to cultivate top-level information security talent with practical capabilities so they can proactively respond to increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats, and support Korea in leading the global cybersecurity race."
Lee Sang-joong, president of the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), said, "Domestic security talent has proven it can achieve world-class proficiency without outside help," adding, "Behind all these results was the dedication of mentors who generously devote time to fostering juniors, and BoB will continue to nurture pure talent that can succeed on the global stage."