Presidential Office: "Launch of National Cybersecurity Council... Integrated National-Level Response"

Wang Yunjong, 3rd Deputy Director of National Security Office, Chairs First Meeting
National Intelligence Service Acts as Secretary... Integrated National-Level Response

Wang Yunjong, Third Deputy Director of the National Security Office Photo by Yonhap News

The Presidential Office announced on the 31st the launch of the 'National Cybersecurity Council,' which discusses cybersecurity policies and current issues.

According to the Presidential Office, on the same day, the first joint meeting of related agencies to strengthen national cybersecurity cooperation was held at the Yongsan Presidential Office, chaired by Wang Yoon-jong, the 3rd Deputy Director of the National Security Office.

The meeting was attended by officials from 14 government agencies involved in cybersecurity tasks, including the National Intelligence Service, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Justice, who are engaged in responding to cyber threats.

Deputy Director Wang assessed that North Korea continues illegal cyber activities worldwide, including virtual asset theft, to fund missile development, and recently has caused security threats such as the release of balloon propaganda.

He also emphasized that the methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated and intelligent, exploiting the latest IT technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing for cyberattacks, and stressed the need for related agencies to share information and prepare together.

At the meeting, participants agreed that with the launch of the council, the Presidential Office and related agencies will promptly share cybersecurity-related policies and current issues to respond in an integrated manner at the national level against evolving cyber threats.

The attendees conducted an in-depth review of the 'National Cybersecurity Basic Plan' jointly prepared by government ministries and the 100 practical tasks to faithfully implement the 'National Cybersecurity Strategy' announced by the government on February 1st.

For efficient operation of the council, the National Intelligence Service, which is the lead agency for cyber crisis management, will serve as the secretariat. The plan is to make it a genuine government-wide platform for cybersecurity collaboration and discussion by inviting private experts to provide opinions on specific issues.

The Presidential Office stated, "The government will continue to develop cooperation between related ministries and the private sector to safely protect not only the nation's core functions but also the daily lives of citizens from the continuously occurring cyberattacks," adding, "We also plan to establish a joint response system with allied countries in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.