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Busan Metropolitan City and Pusan National University Selected for the Convergence Security Talent Development Project to Strengthen the Digital Competitiveness of Regional Industries

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Chun Jae-soo) announced that Pusan National University (Project Director: Professor Kim Ho-won) has been selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP)'s 2026 Convergence Security Talent Development Project. Under the initiative, the university will implement a convergence security talent development program with a total project budget of KRW 6.05 billion through 2031.

The project supports the establishment and operation of graduate schools specializing in convergence security to cultivate highly skilled professionals capable of addressing the growing range of cybersecurity threats across all industries.

Following its selection, Pusan National University will invest a total of KRW 6.05 billion from July 2026 through December 2031, including KRW 550 million in funding from Busan Metropolitan City and KRW 5.5 billion in national government funding.

The project aims to cultivate professionals capable of resolving security challenges in industrial settings and strengthening the digital competitiveness of regional industries by integrating blockchain- and artificial intelligence (AI)-based convergence security technologies with Busan's strategic industries, including maritime, ports, shipbuilding, and manufacturing.

Pusan National University will establish a convergence security curriculum that reflects the practical security needs of regional strategic industries and cultivate practice-oriented professionals who can be deployed immediately in the field through industry-academia collaboration projects and internship programs.

In particular, the project will strengthen industrial security capabilities in key regional industries undergoing rapid digital transformation, including smart ports, smart ships, and smart factories, while establishing a foundation for nurturing convergence security professionals equipped to respond to global security regulations.

Through this project, Busan Metropolitan City plans to establish the foundation for operating the first industry-specialized graduate school of convergence security in the southeastern region of Korea and strengthen the digital transformation of regional strategic industries as well as their capacity to respond to global security regulations.

The city also expects that cultivating specialists in blockchain technology and convergence security will enhance the digital competitiveness of its key regional industries while promoting joint research and industry-academia collaboration between universities and businesses, thereby contributing to the development of the regional convergence security and blockchain ecosystem.

Furthermore, the city expects the project to strengthen industry-academia collaboration and employment linkages so that outstanding graduates of the program can build their careers in Busan, contribute to local businesses and industries, and help establish a virtuous cycle in which young talent studies, finds employment, and grows professionally in the city.

Lee Jin-soo, Director General for Financial and Startup Policy at Busan Metropolitan City, said, "As digital transformation accelerates, security capabilities across industries have become a key element of corporate competitiveness. Working closely with Pusan National University, we will cultivate core convergence security professionals who meet the needs of our region's key industries and actively support the wider adoption of blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and convergence security technologies throughout the regional industrial sector."