South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) have initiated full-scale execution of the national “Open Quantum Testbed Advancement and Expansion Project.” Officially launched during a project kickoff briefing at the Pangyo Business Support Hub, the initiative builds on the government’s First Comprehensive Plan for Fostering Quantum Science and Technology, expanding the operational testbed footprint beyond the existing Seoul–Pangyo–Daejeon corridor into a nationwide quantum communications infrastructure by 2028.
The three-year initiative runs from 2026 through 2028, backed by an initial first-year investment of 7.4 billion won (~$5.6 million USD)—comprising 3.75 billion won ($2.83 million USD) in government funding and 3.65 billion won ($2.76 million USD) from private-sector contributions. Under the national deployment structure, South Korean telecommunications provider KT Corporation (KRX: 030200) has been selected to construct and operate both the Commercial Hub (“Section A”) and the Future Hub (“Section C”), while competitor SK Broadband will lead the International / Overseas Hub (“Section B”) to validate cross-border quantum security interoperability.
| [ South Korea Open Quantum Testbed Structural Framework (2026–2028) ] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Testbed Section | Lead Operator | Network Scope & Rollout Schedule | Technical Focus & Validation Objective |
| • Section A (Commercial Hub) | • KT Corporation | • Daejeon → Daegu (2026) • Gwangju & Busan (2027) • Seoul → Gangwon (Chuncheon, 2028) | • Wireline QKD interoperability across multi-vendor domestic equipment; live commercial pilot validation in healthcare and finance. |
| • Section B (Overseas / International Hub) | • SK Broadband | • Cross-border connections to testbeds in Singapore, Poland, and Bulgaria | • Hybrid validation pairing terrestrial QKD links with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for long-distance international backbones and UAM data protection. |
| • Section C (Future Hub) | • KT Corporation | • Terrestrial free-space, airborne, and satellite links | • Multi-point Quantum Entanglement distribution; expanding free-space wireless QKD reach from 4.8 km to 15 km via adaptive optics. |
Terrestrial QKD Rollout, Hybrid PQC Links, and Entanglement Distribution
In Section A, KT will center terrestrial expansion around its primary Daejeon hub, interconnecting South Korea’s major metropolitan regions across Chungcheong, Honam, Yeongnam, and Gangwon. A primary objective is establishing an open multi-vendor verification framework that allows domestic optical-network hardware manufacturers to test quantum key distribution (QKD) appliances, key management systems (KMS), and encryptors for seamless interoperability.
For cross-border links in Section B, SK Broadband will demonstrate hybrid defense-in-depth security architectures. While physical QKD secures domestic and localized overseas segments, Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms will be applied across long-distance transit links connecting South Korean nodes to partner research testbeds in Singapore, Poland, and Bulgaria—supporting secure scientific data transmission and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) communication security.
In Section C, KT is advancing quantum communication beyond fixed optical-fiber constraints. The future-hub project focuses on free-space wireless QKD, aiming to triple transmission range from 4.8 km to 15 km using modular transceivers and adaptive optics designed to counteract atmospheric turbulence. This segment also serves as the proving ground for multi-point quantum entanglement distribution, establishing the physical routing layers needed for distributed quantum computing clusters and future quantum satellite uplinks.
Review the industry analysis via Seoul Economic Daily (SEDaily) here, examine the operator rollout report on Chosunbiz here, inspect the ministerial project overview on Aju Press here, and read institutional policy details on the Ministry of Science and ICT Portal here.
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