1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, in his capacity as head delegate of the government of the Republic of Korea, attended the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCC) 2015 under way in The Hague, the Netherlands, on April 16 and 17. At the meeting’s opening session on April 16, the Minister delivered a keynote speech.

◦ The meeting, the fourth of its kind following the third held in Seoul in 2013, brought together a record-breaking 1,700-odd people, including delegates from 20-odd international organizations as well as governments, enterprises and civil societies of 90-odd countries.

◦ In line with the GCC practice where the chair of its previous round attends and delivers an address at the meeting, Minister Yun attended the Hague meeting and delivered a speech, the first among those given by the minister- or vice minister-level head delegates from 40 countries at the opening session.

2. Saying that “I’m wired, therefore I am” in a way that is analogous to the famous words by French philosopher Rene Descartes, “I think, therefore I am,” Minister Yun brought attention to the modern society’s growing dependence on cyberspace. He went on to mention that states and communities, businesses and individuals all face the common challenge of vulnerability to cyber threats posed by connectivity, underscoring the need for inter-national cooperation in that regard.

◦ The Minister pointed out that in particular, cyberspace is evolving as a hotbed of opportunity and potential, and a powerful engine for innovation and growth, with cyber attacks growing in diversity and frequency at the same time. He added that Koreans are more acutely aware of the scale of the threats – not only because they are a super-connected society, but also because they have been living on the frontline of the divided Korean Peninsula.

◦ Citing the cyber attacks on Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) and Sony Entertainment Network last year as good examples of such cyber threats, the Minister called for states to actively work together in responding to cyber attacks on such critical infrastructure as the KHNP and tracing down the perpetrators through prompt and timely judicial cooperation and information sharing.

3. In addition, Minister Yun pointed out the need for countries to take confidence building measures in order to reduce possible tensions among them triggered by misunderstandings and misperceptions and to lay the foundation for mutual cooperation amid the lack of international norms to control cyberspace with. Furthermore, citing the vulnerable cyber security of developing countries jeopardizing the safety of the entire global cyber ecosystem, the Minister underscored the importance of international cooperation to support capacity-building efforts of developing countries. In that regard, he brought attention to the ROK’s plan to support such efforts of developing countries through the Global Cyber-security Center for Development (GCCD) to open in the country this year.

4. The ROK, as the host country of the GCC 2013, produced the “Seoul Framework for and Commitment to Open and Secure Cyberspace,” a tangible outcome containing basic principles on cyberspace; and made capacity building one of the GCCs’ key agenda items. The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), an international initiative to be launched at the Hague conference, will be based on such achievements.

◦ Many of those who delivered addresses in the opening session also highlighted the importance of cyber capacity building, voicing support for the call for stronger international cooperation and the upcoming launch of the GFCE.

5. The Hague conference consists of four focus sessions on international peace and security; ways to build cyberspace safe for use by enterprises and people; ways to sustain economic growth and technological innovation; and ways to better protect privacy, as well as 15 workshops and other side events.

* The ROK delegation, composed of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the National Police Agency and the Korea Communications Commission, as well as civilian experts, is taking an active part in workshops and other side events.

6. On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Yun met bilaterally with other high-level officials attending the multilateral meeting, including an EU High Representative and his counterparts from Australia, the Netherlands, Serbia and Ukraine for extensive discussions on bilateral issues. 


                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation