Seoul's Codegate 2026 hacking contest pits AI hacker against humans

The 18th Codegate International Hacking Defense Competition was held on 23‑24 May at COEX in Seoul. The event attracted more than 3,300 participants from 88 countries, with 20 teams in the open division and a junior division for under‑19 competitors. Japanese team BunkyoWesterns won the open division, earning the Ministry of Science and ICT minister’s award and a 50 million‑won prize, while Korean participant Kim Jun‑won took first place in the junior category. For the first time, an AI‑driven “AI Hacker” developed jointly by KAIST and the Codegate Security Forum competed alongside human white‑hat hackers, demonstrating autonomous vulnerability‑search capabilities. Officials highlighted the need to strengthen cybersecurity talent as AI becomes a core component of future digital threats.