- MSIT hosted the Korean joint pavilion, facilitated business meetings, and conducted a briefing session for the Qatar Investment Authority at Saudi LEAP 2025.
- 12 companies generated export commitments worth over $1.63 million.
- MSIT strengthened cybersecurity ties with the GCC and key agencies in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
- Naver and domestic security firms signed an MOU for Middle East market expansion.

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Minister Yoo Sang-im), along with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA, President Lee Sang-jung) and the Korea Information Security Industry Association (KISIA, Chairman Cho Young-cheol), announced the successful operation of the "K-Digital Public-Private Trade Mission" in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, aimed at supporting the expansion of domestic information security companies into the Middle East.

Countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, maintain close cooperation with South Korea through diplomatic relations and have strong confidence in Korea’s information security expertise. In addition, the Middle Eastern security market is projected to expand rapidly, with an annual growth rate exceeding 10%, making it a prime candidate for large-scale market development in the coming years. Given these factors, MSIT selected the Middle East as the first destination for its 2025 public-private trade mission.

This trade mission included 9 domestic information security and physical security companies, selected through an open call, that participated in the Korean Joint Pavilion at Saudi LEAP 2025. Separately, 12 ICT companies, including information security firms, received support for business meetings with local Saudi partners and a company briefing session for the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). These activities actively supported the export expansion of domestic companies. Additionally, meetings were held with SITE, a state-owned company responsible for security product planning and delivery to the Saudi public sector, laying the groundwork for Korean companies' entry into the Saudi public sector.
*LEAP 2025: A global tech event in Saudi Arabia, which attracted over 2,100 companies and 30,000 attendees in February 2025.

Furthermore, Naver, which has been accelerating its expansion into Saudi Arabia through initiatives like a joint venture with Saudi’s National Housing Company (NHC), joined the trade mission. It signed an MOU with other Korean companies to strengthen cooperation for entering the Middle East, including business network expansion and information sharing on the regional market and ecosystem.

In connection with this, MSIT delivered a ministerial cooperation proposal to the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)*, promoting the global recognition of Korea’s information security workforce development model in the Middle East.
*Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): A regional cooperation organization established in 1981 by six Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman) aimed at promoting political, security, economic, and social cooperation.

This proposal aims to expand the ASEAN Cyber Shield (ACS) model, successfully operated by MSIT and KISA through the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund, into the Middle East region. It proposes developing a K-information security workforce model, hosting hacking defense competitions, and facilitating regular exchanges and cooperation between the information security industries of Korea and the Middle East, with support from GCC funds. The GCC Secretary-General, Jasem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, expressed gratitude for Korea’s proposal and stated that discussions on the matter will take place with the secretaries-general of the six GCC countries.

Through this proposal, MSIT expects that Korean companies will be able to expand their presence in foreign markets more easily through the spread of the K-Security Model in the Middle East.

The event resulted in approximately 600 consultations, facilitating export opportunities worth over $1.63 million, and numerous partnerships were established with Middle Eastern buyers. These outcomes are expected to lay the foundation for actual exports in the near future. MSIT will continue to provide follow-up support after the exhibition to ensure the successful realization of these exports.

Kim Nam-cheol, Director of Cyber Security and Network Policy at MSIT, stated,
“Through this Middle East trade mission, Korean companies were able to meet with partners not only from Saudi Arabia but also from neighboring Middle Eastern countries all in one place. The government will continue to support companies in tapping into emerging markets through international cooperation and collaborate with the private sector to drive tangible export outcomes.”

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.


Please refer to the attached PDF.