Southeastern Korea’s First Industry-Specific Convergence Security Graduate School to Be Established

Pusan National University Secures 5.5 Billion Won in National Funding Through Ministry of Science and ICT Project

Busan City: "Nurturing Security Experts for Maritime, Port, and Shipbuilding Industries"

As the pace of digital transformation accelerates and the importance of industrial security grows, Pusan National University is taking the initiative to establish the first industry-tailored Convergence Security Graduate School in the southeastern region of Korea. This will lay the foundation for systematically training security professionals specialized in Busan’s key industries, including maritime, port, and shipbuilding sectors.

On July 15, Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Jeon Jae-soo) announced that Pusan National University was finally selected for the ‘2026 Convergence Security Core Talent Development Program', which is promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP).

Accordingly, Pusan National University will invest a total of 6.05 billion won—including 5.5 billion won from the national budget and 550 million won from the city budget—over the period from 2026 to 2031 to operate the Convergence Security Graduate School.

The Convergence Security Core Talent Development Program aims to support the establishment and operation of graduate schools focused on convergence security in order to cultivate experts who can respond to cyber security threats proliferating across every industry.

Pusan National University plans to run a curriculum that integrates the region’s core industries—such as maritime, port, shipbuilding, and manufacturing—with convergence security technologies based on blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). The university’s goal is to foster field-ready experts through practical training programs reflecting the security demands of industry, as well as through university-industry collaborative projects and internships.

The program will focus on industries undergoing rapid digital transformation, such as smart ports, smart ships, and smart factories, to enhance capabilities in industrial security and develop human resources that can respond to global security regulations.

Busan Metropolitan Government plans to use this project to establish an operational framework for the southeastern region’s first industry-specific convergence security graduate school, increase the digital competitiveness of the local industry, and expand joint research and university-industry cooperation between universities and companies.

Additionally, Busan intends to strengthen linkages between employment opportunities and university-industry cooperation, so that the talents nurtured through this initiative can find jobs at local companies and settle in the region, thereby building an ecosystem for the convergence security industry in the area.

Jinsoo Lee, Busan City’s Financial Startup Policy Director, stated, “In every industry, security competence has become a core element that determines corporate competitiveness. We will work with Pusan National University to train convergence security professionals tailored to the needs of local industries and actively support the spread of blockchain and AI-based security technologies to industrial fields.”

Busan City Hall.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.