Korea-US-Japan Hold First High-Level Cybersecurity Meeting... Discuss Blocking North Korea's WMD Funding

Ahead of the trilateral summit on the 18th, exchanging views on information sharing
Discussing regularization plans for future cybersecurity dialogue channels

On the 4th, the three countries of Korea, the United States, and Japan held their first 'High-Level Cybersecurity' meeting. This meeting was held in advance to address the 'cybersecurity' sector, one of the key agenda items of the Korea-US-Japan summit scheduled for the 18th, and discussed practical measures for close information sharing.

In the meeting held via video conference that morning, Korea was represented by Lim Jong-deuk, Deputy Director of the National Security Office, the United States by Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology at the National Security Council, and Japan by Masataka Okano, Deputy Director of the National Security Bureau, each attending as the chief representative.

The participants discussed countermeasures to break the vicious cycle of North Korea using illegally seized virtual assets as funding for WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) development. To this end, they agreed to establish a high-level trilateral consultative body, actively cooperate on North Korea's malicious cyber activities through close information sharing among the three countries, joint issuance of security advisories, and measures against mixers exploited as virtual asset laundering technologies.

The plan also included regularizing this trilateral meeting as a cybersecurity dialogue channel. Additionally, they exchanged views on major cooperation issues such as joint responses to North Korea's IT foreign currency earning personnel and collaboration with virtual asset specialized companies. Detailed plans will be finalized through a follow-up meeting in early September. A presidential office official explained, "The matters discussed at this meeting are linked to the cybersecurity agenda of the Korea-US-Japan summit scheduled for the 18th and will serve as a foundation for Korea, the United States, and Japan to fully advance cooperation at the level of an information alliance."