Resilience in telecommunications networks: A Korean case study

As telecommunications networks become an indispensable element of social infrastructure, their resilience is gaining significant attention worldwide. However, to date, there is little academic research on the interaction between resilience and telecommunications networks. Furthermore, there is a lack of practical studies addressing this topic using real-world experiences and lessons gleaned from them. To address this gap, this study examines research trends in the field of resilience in telecommunications networks by conducting bibliometric analysis and topic model analysis. In addition, this study underlines the major threats to resilience in these networks and South Korea's status in terms of dealing with such threats. Three dominant thematic clusters—digital transformation, resilience management, and network resilience—have emerged from conducting a topic modeling analysis, each aligning closely with real-world cases of telecommunications disruptions in South Korea. To complement these results with practical insights, the study further explores four case studies on South Korea, covering cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, and climate-induced outages. South Korea, one of the world's most digitally connected countries, offers a relevant case context given its high dependence on telecommunications services and vulnerability to both cyber and environmental risks. Based on the findings, this study highlights the importance of enhancing “resilience literacy” among all stakeholders.