U.S., Japan, and South Korea Discuss Joint Response to North Korean Cyber Activities at Washington Summit

Diplomats from South Korea, the United States, and Japan gathered in Washington D.C. to discuss joint responses to issues directly linked to North Korea’s nuclear weapons development funds, such as virtual asset hacking.

According to a report by Yonhap News on the 30th, the three countries held the Second United States-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group Meeting on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Cyber Activities to discuss effective response measures through cooperation between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.

This meeting is a follow-up measure to strengthen cooperation in response to North Korean cyber threats, as the three countries’ leaders agreed upon at the Camp David U.S.-Japan-Korea Trilateral Summit last August.

South Korea’s Lee Joon Il, ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for North Korean Nuclear Affairs, U.S. Lyn Debevoise, U.S. Deputy Special Representative for North Korea at the State Department, and Naoki Kumagai, Japanese Ambassador in charge of  Cyber Policy, each served as senior representatives. Many officials from each country’s foreign affairs and related departments who handle North Korean nuclear issues and cyber sectors attended.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed, “The three countries shared concerns about the trend of North Korean IT personnel disguising their identities to win contracts from global IT companies, not only to raise funds for North Korean nuclear and missile development but also to participate in malicious cyber activities such as hacking.”

The three countries also agreed to strengthen the international community’s cyber security capabilities, including cooperation with private companies, to prevent North Korea’s illegal cyber activities.