Ministry of Foreign Affairs Holds Global New Security Forum: "Strengthening Cyber Resilience Is Policy Direction"

Security Implications of Emerging Technologies such as AI

Theme: "Emerging Technology: Risks and Opportunities"

At the "2026 Global New Security Forum (WESF)," experts warned that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are no longer just future threats, but have become real and present security challenges. Concerns were raised over the development of international norms, global cooperation, and the need to enhance cyber resilience.

On the morning of the 9th, Jung Yeon-doo, Director of the Office of Foreign Policy Strategy and Intelligence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is delivering the opening remarks at the '2026 World New Security Forum' held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In his opening remarks at the forum held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on the 9th, Jeong Yeondu, Director of the Diplomatic Strategy and Information Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "For years, we spoke about emerging technologies as matters for the future. We said, 'AI will change the nature of war,'" adding, "But that time has now passed. Emerging technologies are no longer a subject for prediction."

Jeong continued, "This is an immediate reality. It is already making headlines in today's news and is present on today's battlefields," he stated. "AI is driving security innovation across the military spectrum, from information analysis and reconnaissance to logistics and operational planning."

He further emphasized, "If used wisely, AI can support more informed decision-making and increase operational effectiveness. However, if misused, it can lead to a completely different future. Ultimately, whether AI strengthens or weakens our security depends on the rules we establish, the cooperation we build, and the restraint we exercise."

Kim Huikang, Blue House Secretary for Cyber Security, referenced the large-scale cyber intrusions that impacted several government agencies earlier this year in his congratulatory remarks, stating, "We isolated the affected systems, patched the vulnerabilities across the network, and are now working to strengthen monitoring of these systems."

He explained, "At that time, the intrusion exploited vulnerabilities that even the software vendors were unaware of, showing that there are practical limitations to any defense system in blocking attacks in advance."

Kim stressed, "In situations where attacks unfold so quickly and covertly, the only standard for success cannot simply be preventing every intrusion beforehand. What matters is how quickly we detect intrusions and how rapidly we recover the systems affected." He went on to say, "This is the essence of resilience, and it is the direction of our policy."

Kim also highlighted the dual nature of AI. "AI is making attacks faster and cheaper, and tracing them more difficult," he said. "But at the same time, AI allows us to detect and analyze threats earlier and respond and recover more quickly. Both attackers and defenders are using the same tools."

In the afternoon session titled "Tech Triangle: AI-Cyber-Nuclear Connectivity and the Conditions for Deterrence Amidst Technological Convergence," the risks AI poses to military decision-making and the need for human control during nuclear crises were also discussed.

Karen Gibson, former U.S. Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (and Non-Resident Senior Fellow for Intelligence, National Security & Technology Program at CSIS), noted, "AI far surpasses our cognitive abilities in understanding vast amounts of data and connecting information from different datasets." However, she stressed, "AI is not good at telling us what is happening inside people’s minds. That remains a task for humans."

She especially emphasized the need for human control in nuclear crisis scenarios. Former Deputy Director Gibson said, "When it comes to issues like nuclear weapons launches, human decision-making authority must be maintained."

Professor Son Hanbyul of the Korea National Defense University’s Department of Strategy remarked on the North Korean nuclear issue, saying, "AI may serve as a means of response, but there are concerns that AI may eliminate some of the ‘brakes’ or safeguards on control." He continued, "There are three brakes in the chain of control: time, information, and control."

He also pointed out that in an environment of AI and open information, the overwhelming volume of information could become an issue, stating, "That means North Korea could directly attack our decision-making process," and added, "We refer to this as 'nuclear cognitive warfare.'"

Graham Nelson, founder and secretary general of the AI Diplomacy Engagement Network, warned about the potential decline in decision-making quality as AI is adopted in policymaking. He noted that while governments were moving to "respond more rapidly, craft policies, and synthesize information" with AI, "there was a risk that this could diminish the quality of our decision-making."

Celebrating its sixth edition this year, the Global New Security Forum is a platform for discussions on emerging security threats that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched in 2021. This year’s forum, under the theme "Emerging Technology: Risks and Opportunities," was attended by more than 20 speakers and around 200 participants from government, international organizations, private sector, and academia.

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