Korea is the first Asian nation to join the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).



NATO.jpgKorea is the first Asian nation to join the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 


The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on May 5 said the world has recognized Seoul's superior cyber capacity with the nation's full-fledged entry into the CCDCOE, the world's best cybersecurity organization.

Canada and Luxembourg also newly joined the organization, but Korea is the only member state without NATO membership.

The CCDCOE now has 32 member countries -- 27 from NATO as sponsoring nations and five non-NATO states as contributing participants. 

With regular membership in the body, the NIS said it expects a stronger international network in cybersecurity through expanded opportunities in NATO's joint training and policy research as well as a bigger voice for Seoul in discussions on global cyber policy.

The intelligence service on May 5 said a cybersecurity officer visited the CCDCOE's headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia, to attend the event for Korea's entry.

The NIS said, “Cyber threats have recently caused massive damage not only to people but also individual nations and transnationally, so close international cooperation is most important to respond to such threats as well as individual countries securing national response capacity," adding, "We plan to work closely with NATO's CCDCOE to thoroughly protect the security of the Republic of Korea and the safety of the people in cyberspace and contribute to world peace."

After Russia's massive cyberattacks in 2007 paralyzed Estonia's national system, NATO members established the CCDCOE in May 2008 to collectively respond to online threats.

Focused on defense versus cyberattacks, defense training, and research on strategy and policy, NATO's cyber defense group is considered to have the world's best capacity in cybersecurity.


Korea.net