The 3-Line Summary
- The first Korea Internet Governance Forum (KrIGF) met at Yonsei University in Seoul on 29 November 2012 — a modest start with two sessions and about 20 participants, organised by the government agency KISA.
- Discussion centred on developing a Korean model of internet governance, translating the UN IGF's multistakeholder dialogue to the national level.
- That small gathering became the origin of a national IGF held every year since, and — despite its government-led start — paved the way for the multistakeholder council KIGA founded in 2014.
Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on 1st Korea Internet Governance Forum (KrIGF 2012) draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.
Conference at a Glance (from official records)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | 1st Korea Internet Governance Forum (KrIGF 2012) |
| Dates | 29 November 2012 |
| Venue | Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea |
| Theme | Regional governance themes |
| Participants | 20 |
| Sessions | 2 |
| Host | Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) |
(See the source list at the end of this article.)
Discussion Digest — from the Session Records
Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.
1. Birth of a National IGF — In Search of a 'Korean Model'
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- Organised by KISA at Yonsei University, the meeting was small — two sessions and roughly 20 participants — and focused on how to develop a Korean model of internet governance [1][4]
- It set out to replicate the UN IGF's multistakeholder dialogue at national level, covering public-policy issues from network security and privacy to information access and address resources [1][4]
2. A Government-Led Start — Criticism of the Top-Down Format
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- GISWatch's country report describes the 2012 and 2013 forums, led by the government agency KISA, as emblematic of Korea's traditionally top-down policy-making [2]
- That criticism fed directly into the 2014 shift to a civil-society-led format and the founding of the Korea Internet Governance Alliance (KIGA) in November 2014 [2]
Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered
Q. What exactly is the KrIGF?
A. It is South Korea's national version of the UN Internet Governance Forum — an annual meeting where government, business, civil society and academia discuss internet policy as equals. This 2012 meeting was the very first.
Q. What did the first forum decide?
A. Nothing formally — it was a kick-off gathering of about 20 people exploring how a Korean model of internet governance should develop.
Q. Why does it matter?
A. Because it started an unbroken series of national forums and posed a question every country faces: should internet rules be written by officials alone, or together with users, companies and civil society?
What Is Korea IGF? (for first-time readers)
Korea IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.
Why It Matters to You
What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2012 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.
Sources & References
- 한국 인터넷거버넌스포럼 (KrIGF) 소개・개최 이력（開催履歴表） — KRNIC 한국인터넷정보센터（KISA運営） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Korea, Republic of — Internet governance country report — Global Information Society Watch（APC） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- KISA, 2018 한국인터넷거버넌스포럼(KrIGF) 개최（報道資料・「2012年から毎年開催」） — KISA 한국인터넷진흥원 (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Republic of Korea IGF（NRI登録ページ） — UN IGF Secretariat (accessed 2026-07-11)
Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.
Related links
- IGF official (NRI list): https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives
- Japan IGF: https://japanigf.jp/
- Yuki Nakazawa's blog: https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Revision History
Rev. 1 — published 8 July 2012, 12:00 (Article published)
Rev. 2 — updated 16 July 2026, 20:09 (Fully revised into the in-depth edition: added the 3-line summary, minutes digest, short talk, source list and diagrams (all quotes verified against the listed sources))
— 中澤祐樹
