SEOUL: The United States, South Korea and Japan have agreed to launch a high-level consultative group on countering North Korea’s cyber activities that they say finance its unlawful weapons programmes, South Korea’s presidential office said on Monday.
US deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, Ms Anne Neuberger, held talks with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Washington last week. According to the presidential office, they agreed to hold quarterly meetings under the new framework.
“It is aimed at strengthening the three countries’ effective response capabilities against global cyber threats, including jointly countering North Korea’s cyber activities that are abused as a key source funding its nuclear and WMD (weapons of mass destruction) programmes,” a statement by the office said.
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The announcement comes after the leaders of the three countries agreed in August summit at Camp David that they would establish a new trilateral working group focusing on the North Korea’s cyber threats.
Sanctions monitors have alleged that North Korea used cyber attacks to gather funds for its nuclear and missile programmes, and a UN report said the North stepped up its cryptocurrency theft in 2022, using sophisticated techniques to steal more in 2022 than in any other year. North Korea has, however, denied allegations of hacking or other cyber attacks.
