“In a digital era where new threats constantly emerge,

what we need most is the establishment of unwavering standards.”

Science and technology have advanced at an unprecedented pace. As the emergence of artificial intelligence accelerates the expansion of the digital age, society is undergoing profound transformations. While technological progress has made everyday life more convenient, it has also introduced entirely new social challenges. In particular, as crimes continue to evolve and diversify in form, their potential risks have grown significantly.

Established as the first graduate-level Department of Forensics in Korea, Sungkyunkwan University’s Department of Forensics cultivates professionals equipped with both advanced legal expertise and practical investigative skills through interdisciplinary education and research that integrates law and science.

Recently, Hyunjae Cho, a graduate student in the Department of Forensics, was recognized for his research achievements by receiving the British Ambassador’s Award at the Achievement Presentation Conference of the Oxford Global Cybersecurity Talent Development Program. We met with him to discuss the digital age, cybersecurity, and the importance of establishing reliable standards for the future.

Q. Could you introduce yourself?

My name is Hyunjae Cho, and I am a graduate student in the Department of Forensics. In 2025, I was selected as a participant in the Oxford Global Cybersecurity Talent Development Program and studied in the United Kingdom. I returned to Korea this past March.

Q. Congratulations on receiving the British Ambassador’s Award at the Oxford Global Cybersecurity Talent Development Program Achievement Presentation Conference. How did you feel when you heard the news?

Thank you very much. To be honest, I could hardly believe it when I first heard the news. Thirty participants, including myself, were selected for the overseas program, and I was delighted that my efforts as one of them had been recognized.

As a member of the program's first cohort, and having received an award as well, I felt an even greater sense of responsibility.

▲ Achievement Presentation Conference

Q. What first sparked your interest in cybersecurity and digital forensics, and what led you to pursue graduate studies in the Department of Forensics at Sungkyunkwan University?

I earned my undergraduate degree at Sungkyunkwan University, majoring in Russian Language and Literature and Political Science and Diplomacy. After graduation, I followed a fairly conventional career path and worked in industry. Later, however, I joined a technology-based media startup, where I frequently collaborated with developers and designers. Through these experiences, I naturally became interested in the field of computer science.

Wanting to study the subject more deeply, I pursued further education while continuing to work full-time. Through the Korea National Open University, I obtained additional bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Law. As I immersed myself in these fields, I realized they aligned well with my interests and strengths. I also became convinced that the intersection of technology and law would play an increasingly important role in the future.

After years of self-study, development projects, and careful consideration of my career path, I ultimately decided to enroll in Sungkyunkwan University’s Department of Forensics, where the convergence of technology and law is studied in a specialized and systematic manner.

Q. You spent about six months at the University of Oxford through this program. What impressed you the most when you first arrived?

What stands out most in my memory is Oxford’s unique college system.

In Korea, the term “college” generally refers to an academic division composed of related disciplines, such as a College of Business or a College of Liberal Arts. Oxford’s colleges, however, function quite differently. People from a wide range of academic backgrounds form a single community regardless of their field of study.

Many aspects of student life—including extracurricular activities and day-to-day university experiences—are centered around these colleges. As a result, I was able to interact naturally with people whose academic interests were entirely different from my own. I also had numerous opportunities to communicate with students from diverse nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

I believe this reflects Oxford’s strong commitment to interdisciplinary exchange. Having studied the humanities and social sciences as an undergraduate and now conducting research in forensics, which combines computer science and law, I think the university viewed my interdisciplinary background positively as well.

▲ Magdalen College, Korean Culture Night

Q. Could you tell us about a class or research experience that left a particularly strong impression on you? How was it different from what you experienced in Korea?

The class that left the strongest impression on me was People and Security.

Academically, this field is known as Usable Security, which focuses on user-centered approaches to security. It is still relatively unfamiliar in Korea. Traditional cybersecurity has largely concentrated on defending systems from external attacks from the perspective of service providers. Usable Security, however, starts from a different premise: security can only be effective if it is convenient and practical for end users.

For example, even the strongest password policy becomes ineffective if users find it so complicated that they end up writing their passwords on sticky notes and attaching them to their monitors. In that case, the security system has effectively failed.

What impressed me most was that Oxford approaches this field not merely from a computer science perspective, but through the integration of law, psychology, the humanities, and sociology.

Another particularly thought-provoking concept introduced in the course was “Security for All.” Security systems are often designed around a generalized majority user, but in reality, people have diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and vulnerabilities shaped by factors such as age, gender, disability, and social context.

Consider, for instance, survivors of intimate partner violence. In many cases, an abuser may already know—or be able to force access to—the victim’s smartphone password or Face ID credentials. In such situations, conventional technology-centered security measures become ineffective.

Usable Security seeks to address these realities by considering not only technological threats but also the individual circumstances and social environments of users. It is both an academic discipline and a broader movement that redefines what true security means.

While this field has already become an important area of research and industry development in many Western countries, relatively few researchers in Korea are currently working on it. Fortunately, to the best of my knowledge, there is a professor at Sungkyunkwan University who is working to pioneer this field.

Being able to study security from the perspective of people's lives and environments—not merely technological defense—was an incredibly meaningful experience for me.

Q. Could you explain your capstone project on the “LLM Security Benchmark” in simple terms? What led your team to choose this topic?

The overarching theme of our capstone project was “Security for AI.”

Within that framework, our team conducted research on an LLM Security Benchmark, which aims to evaluate the security and safety of large language models.

Simply put, there are currently many different methods used to assess the security capabilities of AI systems, but the standards are highly fragmented. Our goal was to develop a unified framework that would enable objective comparison and evaluation across different models.

As AI technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace, we believe that establishing robust security frameworks for AI itself will become increasingly important. That conviction led us to choose this research topic.

Fortunately, the university recognized both the necessity and potential impact of our work, and our team was honored to receive the Best Project Award.

Q. AI and generative language models are advancing rapidly. As a researcher, what security issues are you paying the closest attention to today?

Originally, the area that interested me most was the legal definition and evaluation of malicious software, including malware, viruses, and ransomware.

However, because establishing legal standards in that field is exceptionally complex, my attention has recently shifted toward the emerging challenges posed by AI and LLM-enabled crimes, as well as the legal frameworks needed to regulate them.

At its core, artificial intelligence is built upon learning.

While I was in the United Kingdom, I encountered a particularly striking case. An individual collected messages, emails, photographs, and other digital records exchanged with a deceased romantic partner and used them to train an AI model capable of recreating that person. The resulting AI character was then made publicly available.

If personal information or private communications belonging to a living individual were shared without consent, existing legal frameworks could address the issue. However, in this case, the person whose data was used had already passed away.

Can such an act be considered defamation of the deceased? More fundamentally, regardless of legal interpretation, should it be regarded as ethically problematic?

At present, there are few clear legal standards for evaluating cases like this.

As AI technologies continue to evolve, entirely new forms of activity are emerging in areas that existing laws were never designed to address. I believe we urgently need serious discussion—both legal and societal—about how these activities should be evaluated and regulated.

Q. You mentioned interacting with students and researchers from many different countries at Oxford. What new perspectives or insights did you gain from those experiences?

I had the opportunity to meet people from a remarkable range of nationalities and academic backgrounds.

At most Korean universities, students' lives tend to revolve around their majors, which means opportunities to interact with students from other disciplines can be somewhat limited unless one actively participates in extracurricular activities. At Oxford, however, the college system I mentioned earlier naturally brought together researchers from a wide variety of fields, including international development, history, archaeology, chemistry, and English literature.

Another significant takeaway was the expansion of my perspective. Because my research focuses on legal systems and institutions, I had always been aware that different countries possess different values and regulatory frameworks. However, discussing these issues directly with people from diverse backgrounds allowed me to experience those differences firsthand.

These multinational and interdisciplinary exchanges provided an invaluable foundation for my interest in comparative legal and institutional studies. They also helped me grow significantly as a researcher by enabling me to analyze cultures, systems, and values from multiple perspectives.

Q. Forensics and cybersecurity involve not only technology but also legal and ethical issues. Is there a particular value that you consider especially important in your research?

The first term that came to mind was legal stability, but upon reflection, I believe the more fundamental value is consistency.

In a rapidly evolving cyber environment shaped by emerging AI-related crimes, consistency in legal and institutional standards is essential if governments are to protect citizens effectively. If regulatory frameworks shift or become fragmented every time technology advances, public trust in the legal system inevitably suffers.

The fields of forensics and cybersecurity are not merely about building technical defenses. They are also about establishing legal and ethical standards that can keep pace with technological development and be applied consistently across society.

As a researcher, I constantly ask myself how institutional consistency can be maintained in the face of new technological threats, and that question continues to guide my work.

Q. We understand that you are particularly interested in research on Comparative Criminal Law Studies on Malware-Related Crimes and Mechanisms for Securing Forensic Trust in Digital Forensics. Could you tell us more about these projects and explain why they are important?

Both research topics are closely connected to my belief that fragmented standards should be unified in order to improve trust and reliability.

The first project, Comparative Criminal Law Studies on Malware-Related Crimes, aims to establish a foundation for international cooperation in responding to borderless cybercrime.

Korea is one of the few countries that explicitly defines malicious software in criminal law. However, the relevant provisions were established in 2001 and have limitations when it comes to addressing modern threats such as ransomware and spyware. In contrast, countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom often do not even provide a formal legal definition of malicious software.

Because malware exhibits similar characteristics regardless of national borders, I hope to analyze these fragmented legal approaches and ultimately contribute to the development of common international guidelines.

The second project, Mechanisms for Securing Forensic Trust in Digital Forensics, focuses on establishing standards for evaluating the reliability of forensic analyses.

Many people assume that scientific analysis always produces clear-cut answers. In reality, however, forensic results often contain gray areas that require interpretation and professional judgment.

The United Kingdom, in particular, has extensive experience with privatized forensic services, which has led to significant discussion about how forensic results should be verified and validated. Through conversations with professionals working in the field, I gained valuable insights into these challenges.

Drawing on those experiences, I hope to help establish objective verification standards that courts and investigators can trust, particularly if a private digital forensics market becomes more active in Korea in the future.

▲ Blackwell's Bookshop, Oxford (left) / Bletchley Park (right)

Q. Balancing overseas study and research activities could not have been easy. How did you overcome the challenges you faced?

Looking back, it was an incredibly valuable experience. However, I must admit that the first month was particularly difficult.

The eight- to nine-hour time difference, unfamiliar food, and an entirely new living environment were more stressful than I had anticipated. In fact, I lost nearly four to five kilograms during that first month alone.

The biggest challenge, however, was the language barrier. Because I did not consider myself fluent in English, I often felt nervous whenever someone spoke to me. I was constantly worried that I might not understand what was being said or be unable to respond appropriately.

Ultimately, what helped me overcome these difficulties was time and adaptation.

As I gradually became accustomed to life in Oxford over the course of a month or two, I found myself becoming more comfortable and confident. My fear of communicating in English also began to fade naturally.

By enduring and overcoming the unfamiliar challenges of a new environment, I was able to grow not only as a researcher but also as an individual.

▲ Port Meadow, Oxford

Q. Finally, is there anything you would like to say to SKKU students?

I strongly encourage you to take advantage of opportunities to study or conduct research abroad whenever possible.

In my own case, I was fortunate to participate in this program with substantial support from the Ministry of Science and ICT and other organizations, which allowed me to gain this invaluable overseas experience without a significant financial burden.

In reality, there are far more government-funded and institution-supported programs available to graduate students and university students than many people realize. New opportunities continue to emerge all the time.

I hope students will not allow concerns such as language barriers or uncertainty about living abroad to prevent them from taking advantage of these opportunities.

I encourage everyone to actively seek out information, challenge themselves, and seize opportunities to learn and grow in a broader world.

Lastly, I hope readers will continue to take an interest in the Department of Forensics and in the emerging issues and challenges associated with this rapidly evolving field.

Interview: Kim Han-gyeol