The KIU Department of Cyber Security won a special prize (group) in the 3rd IP Information Usage Idea Contest hosted by the Korean Intellectual Property Office. They donated all the prize money to an African university and it showed us the warmth of the ’White Hackers’ at Kyungil University.

The students in the department of Cyber Security at Kyungil University made 15 teams and attracted high interest by proposing various ideas and services that provide security features to intellectual property information. Until such achievements were made, students were not only acquiring expertise but also engaged in various external activities.

In 2016 and 2017, for the second consecutive year, they have been selected in the Korea University Clubs Information Security (KUCIS) support project, most selected as the personal information protector in the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, and IBWA ICT mentoring project of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. As such, they are prominent in the government’s information security business. In addition, they participate in volunteer activities for university students and they are doing cyber security-related education for Deagu Youngsin Middle School students. The students said that they were able to win the special prize as a result of upgrading their skills by being active in various fields such as government support projects and volunteer activities.

The 500,000 Korean won prize money received last year was donated to the University of Malawi in Africa with the consent of the participating students. The relationship began with two foreign students (master’s degree programs) from Malawi University. Professor Hyun-Sung Kim in the department of Cyber Security went to Malawi University for a research year, and then one undergraduate at Kyungil University went to Malawi University for his master’s course. The money they donated was significantly used as a scholarship for students from Malawi University of Africa.

Professor Eun-Joon Yoon in the department of Cyber Security and other faculty members said, “in the modern society where information security is important, it is essential to train security experts,” and “we will teach students in the department of Cyber Security at Kyungil University to be able to stand on the top of the national and international hacking competitions, starting with competitive exhibitions and contests.”

On the other hand, the IP Information Usage Idea Competition is hosted by the Korean Intellectual Property Office and administered by the Korean Institute of Patent Information. It is a competition to propose a model that can easily provide ideas to the people and corporations who need information on intellectual property such as patents and designs, and to develop services using the latest ICT technology.

In addition, the department of Cyber Security said that Sung-Ho Choi(2nd grade) and Da-Som Kim(3rd grade) were selected in the ‘6th Next Generation Security Leader Training Program (Best of the Best: BOB)’ hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and sponsored by the Korean Information Technology Research Institute.

Sung-Ho Choi and Da-Som Kim (advisor Ki-Hyun Jung) were selected as BOB students after the competition ratio of 8.5 to 1. A total of 1,186 students, including high school students and university students, participated in the 6th round and 140 finalists were selected through document screening, personality test, written test, and an in-depth interview.

BoB is an information security curriculum that fosters the highest level of white hackers who will lead the information society by discovering talented high school students, college students, and graduate students. Starting with 60 first-time students, it has released 580 white hackers over the past five years. All courses are free of charge, and students have a private learning space, the latest IT equipment, reference books, and dormitories. The selected students will conduct 1:1 apprenticeship training and practical projects with the best information security experts by March next year. After the project, they can get the minister’s certificate from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the certificate of KITRI, overseas training, and funding when they were selected as BEST 10 through the final contest.

The synergy effect is considerable because they consult with prominent mentors in the field of information security about their careers and gather passionate students in information security. From 2014 to 2015, they won the White Hat contest in Korea and achieved the first title in Asia at DEFCON, the international hacking defense contest in 2015, proving the excellence of Korea’s information security fostering.

Sung-Ho Choi, the president of Kyungil University’s cyber security club K-Hackers, said, “The new challenge is always exciting. I was able to see many possibilities while listening to the current education. I want to work at the center of the security society by opening another challenge based on this education, not the end after completing the course.”

In addition, Da-Som Kim said “I will be a BEST 10 student and will make my university and department bright, based on my experience and ability in various external activities, competitions, and mentoring activities in steganography, information security and IT” and “I will make it a step closer to my goal of being the best in digital forensics.”

Advisor Ki-Hyun Jung said, “the selection of two undergraduates as BoB students is a result of the efforts of students who have worked hard in information security club activities and outside activities” and “in the department, I will provide support to strengthen students’ competencies through project implementation and dissertation, and to help them enter the cyber security profession that they desire after graduation.”