7th U.S.-ROK Cyber Policy Consultations

Officials from the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) met in Seoul, Korea on January 19, 2024 for the 7th U.S.-ROK Cyber Policy Consultations and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting international stability in cyberspace and to deepen bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity.

The Cyber Policy Consultations were chaired by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy Liesyl Franz and Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador for International Security Affairs Rhee Dong-yeol.  The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Office of the National Cyber Director, and the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Justice, including the Criminal Division and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Republic of Korea was represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with participation from the National Security Office, Ministry of National Defense, National Intelligence Service, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, National Police Agency, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency.

Both sides provided updates on their respective national cyber policies and exchanged views on bilateral cyber cooperation and developments in regional and international fora.  Participants explored new ways for the United States and the Republic of Korea to promote an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet and a stable cyberspace.  The Consultations included discussion of strengthening regional cooperation on cyber capacity building and efforts to combat cybercrime.  In particular, the United States and the Republic of Korea reaffirmed their commitment to enhance bilateral cooperation, strengthen cyber resilience in the ASEAN region, and to counter Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) cyber threats, including the DPRK’s revenue generation through malicious cyber activity to its regime’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

The Consultations acknowledged the work that has been done in fostering greater regional cybersecurity cooperation and capacity building, as well as the importance of continued implementation of cyber confidence building measures to reduce the risk of misperception and escalation in cyberspace.  This includes efforts advanced through the ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies.

These Consultations are the first to be held since the announcement of the U.S.-ROK Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework in April 2023, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK Alliance.  The Consultations served as a venue to assess and further strengthen cyber cooperation between both sides.  The participants committed to further discussions on cyber policy over the course of 2024.