The growth of domestic information communication industry in 1990s led fast increase in related criminal activities. Korean National Police Agency’s Foreign Affairs bureau appointed computer related crime officer within the International Criminal Affairs Division in 1992 and started computer related crime investigation. The first investigation unit with sufficient network apparatus was Hacker Investigation Unit of October 1995. This team consisted of four staff; two analysts and two investigators.

 

Korea observed several security breaches in 1996~7. After the system intrusion and six-hour breakdown of Nowcom network in May 1997, the Hacker Investigation Unit was moved into the Investigation Bureau with reinforced personnel of ten officers and equipment; it was renamed Computer Crime Investigation Team in August of that year. The Computer Crime Investigation Team conducted investigation on network security breach, malware distribution, software cracking, identity theft, software piracy, auction fraud and morally unacceptable web contents. The team vigorously activated; 189 subjects were prosecuted, among them 21 subjects were arrested in custody in 1997.

 

Computer related crimes were rapidly increasing in quantity in late 1990s; the yearly total case of 397 in 1998 quadrupled into 1,619 cases during January-October period in 1999. As the cyber crime spread over the nation, the Korean National Police Agency decided to install ‘Cyber Crime Investigation Team’ in each of the 16 provincial police agencies in January 2000. It took two years until every provincial police agencies have their own cyber units.

 

In February 2000, KNPA’s Cyber Terror Counteraction Plan was submitted; the plan stressed the need of specialized office for cyber terror counteraction in national police level. In April 28, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security approved to install Cyber Terror Response Center with personnel of 80 officers and annual budget of 10 billion won. Cyber Terror Response Center opened in July 11 of that year.