Chairman Cho Young-tak of Korea Power Exchange (KPX).

The Korea Power Exchange (KPX) has dramatically ramped up its cyber security by applying the Enhanced Security Control (ESC) model for the first time.

The ESC model is a blocking prioritization process against overseas cyber threats to insure the safe operation of web-based information systems.

KPX’s information security team found that more than 95 percent of cyber threats are from foreign countries. Twenty-six out of a total of 28 web-based information systems have limited access from foreign IP ranges to strengthen their information security response.

Compared to the blocking prioritization (BP) process in place to improve daily incident response activities and 2018 when it was not introduced, it was found that efforts to reinforce cyber safety have paid off.

Cyber threat traceability has been dramatically strengthened. Danger of intrusion accident occurrence has declined 92.2 percent; high-danger threat event rate has dropped about 30 percent; cyber attack events against IPS system search has plunged 67.3 percent; malignant IP amounts have cut 42.9 percent; and cyber threat search response time has reduced 7.1 hours.

Han Chung-hee, deputy head of KPX’s information security team, said, “As intelligent and advanced cyber attacks are on the rise, it is very important to block overseas cyber threats in advance.”

The KPX plans to further reinforce cyber safety by continuously monitoring cyber terror threats, he added.

Officials with the KPX participate in the 42nd joint power grid outage restoration training drill involving related organization at the Central Power Control Center of KPX headquarters on Oct. 22.

KPX to Regularize Outage Restoration Drills

KPX conducted the 42nd joint power grid outage restoration training drill on Oct. 22. It involved related organizations at the Central Power Control Center of KPX headquarters.

The latest drill was done via emergency communication channels including a hotline in a contactless fashion to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The drill oversaw Korea Electric Power Corp. and other related organizations’ situation dissemination and emergency response regimes.

Working-level officials with KPX’s Central Power Control Center, using the dispatcher training simulator (DTS), were involved in an imaginary restoration of power in the Central and Jeolla provincial areas in the case of the outage of the nation’s power grid.

During the training drill, power from in-house power generators in the Central and Jeolla provincial areas was supplied via emergency power lines before the power grid of the two regions was restored successfully.

Joo Joon-young, head of KPX’s Central Power Control Center said the training situation was a reality-based exercise that could restore the power grid in a swift and stable fashion in case it occurs.

He called for organic cooperation between KPX and member companies to devote themselves to stabilizing the operation of the power grid.

KPX’s control and training team plans to regularize power gird outage restoration training drills to raise its capacities to restore power grid in a stable fashion through swift situation assessment and close cooperation with related organizations.

A view of KPX headquarters in Naju, Jeollanam-do. (Photos: KPX)