The ministry’s decision to elevate the CPCON level drew particular attention as it came two days after Yoon and his transition team announced that the presidential office would be moved from the Blue House to the building currently housing the Defense Ministry in Yongsan District, central Seoul. Online spaces have emerged as battlegrounds between Moscow, Kyiv, the West and China amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while the presidential transition in Seoul could give rise to cybersecurity threats as the outgoing administration of President Moon Jae-in passes on sensitive intelligence to the incoming team assembled by President-elected Yoon Suk-yeol. Officials from the ministry and intelligence service said the changes were made to reflect concerns about Korea’s cybersecurity in light of the international situation in Europe and the Korean Peninsula.

The Defense Ministry elevated its cyberspace protection condition (CPCON) by one stage to Level 3, the third highest in the five-tier system, while the NIS upped its own readiness stance to Level 2, the second lowest in the four-tier system. The Defense Ministry and National Intelligence Service (NIS) raised their cybersecurity alert levels on Monday amid concerns of possible online threats during the presidential transition and the impending move of the presidential office from the Blue House to Yongsan. The move has been cited by one military official as the reason for the elevation of the ministry's cybersecurity alert level.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, currently headquartered on the premises of the Defense Ministry in Yongsan District, central Seoul, is expected to move to the Capital Defense Command in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, pictured above, once the presidential office is moved to the defense ministry compound.

Cpcon 1 2 3 4