SEED is a
block cipher developed by the Korea Information Security Agency (KISA). It is used broadly throughout
South Korean industry, but seldom found elsewhere. It gained popularity in Korea because
40-bit encryption was not considered strong enough, so the Korea Information Security Agency developed its own standard. However, this decision has historically limited the competition of
web browsers in Korea, as no major SSL libraries or web browsers supported the SEED algorithm, requiring users to use an
ActiveX control in
Internet Explorer for secure web sites.