The US has mandates. South Korea has deployments. Eight sectors, named contractors, specific systems.
South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT expanded its post-quantum cryptography pilot on May 6 to five new critical infrastructure sectors: telecommunications, finance, transportation, defense, and space. Combined with the original 2023 pilot covering medical, energy, and administrative sectors, eight total sectors are now in active migration.
The named deployments are operationally specific. Dream Security is converting the National Science and Technology Research Network. KSmartech is deploying PQC on Hana Card's payment infrastructure. A KSign-led consortium is securing Contec's satellite communications. MobilWithers is bringing PQC to intelligent transport systems in Pangyo Zero City. Daeyoung S-Tech is handling the Ministry of National Defense's smart unit integrated platform.
The contrast with US federal mandates is structural. The White House's March 2026 Cyber Strategy put PQC on the same priority tier as zero trust, with a 2035 deadline for federal agencies. That is a regulatory framework. South Korea is running a procurement framework. Contractors, systems, sectors, all named.
The "harvest now, decrypt later" threat is cited as the explicit motivation. The R&D component funds rapid cryptographic conversion technology, which is the gap most national mandates haven't addressed: the tooling required to actually execute the migration.
Migration isn't a deadline. It's an operation. South Korea is running the operation.