South Korea, US, Japan to launch cyber consultation group, following Camp David agreement

By Dain Oh, The Readable
Nov. 7, 2023 9:07PM GMT+9

South Korea, the United States, and Japan will launch a high-level cyber consultative group to jointly respond to global cyber threats, according to South Korea's presidential office on Monday.

The establishment of the trilateral body occurred following the Camp David agreement reached in August, a concord in which the three nations agreed to create a working group to deter North Korean cyber threats.

In the meeting in Washington D.C. on October 31, Yin Sung-hwan, South Korea’s Second Deputy Director of National Security, Anne Neuberger, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, and Ichikawa Keiichi, Japan’s Deputy National Security Adviser, took part as national representatives.

The security leaders agreed to hold quarterly meetings, mainly focused on strengthening joint capabilities in response to global cyber threats, such as blocking North Korean cyber activities which are the main money pipeline for the rogue nation’s nuclear weapons development program, the Office of the President of South Korea announced in a statement.

The formation of the joint body was first announced after a summit held at Camp David in August.

“We announce the establishment of a new trilateral working group to drive our cooperation, one which will include the international community, to combat cyber threats out of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPKR) and block its cyber-enabled sanctions evasion,” the White House said in a briefing on August 18, expressing “concern regarding the DPRK’s illicit cyber activities that fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs.”

“Japan, the ROK, and the United States remain committed to reestablishing dialogue with the DPRK with no preconditions,” added the Biden administration.

In addition, Yin, South Korea's Second Deputy Director of National Security, met with Darren Goldie, the Australian National Cyber Security Coordinator, on October 30 and agreed to launch a working group to identify mutual threats.

“By cooperating with like-minded nations, we expect to reduce potential cyber threats against international hacking groups,” said the Office in the press release.

ohdain@thereadable.co

This article was copyedited by Arthur Gregory Willers.

Dain Oh is a distinguished journalist based in South Korea, recognized for her exceptional contributions to the field. As the founder and editor-in-chief of The Readable, she has demonstrated her expertise in leading media outlets to success. Prior to establishing The Readable, Dain was a journalist for The Electronic Times, a prestigious IT newspaper in Korea. During her tenure, she extensively covered the cybersecurity industry, delivering groundbreaking reports. Her work included exclusive stories, such as the revelation of incident response information sharing by the National Intelligence Service. These accomplishments led to her receiving the Journalist of the Year Award in 2021 by the Korea Institute of Information Security and Cryptology, a well-deserved accolade bestowed upon her through a unanimous decision. Dain has been invited to speak at several global conferences, including the APEC Women in STEM Principles and Actions, which was funded by the U.S. State Department. Additionally, she is an active member of the Asian American Journalists Association, further exhibiting her commitment to journalism.