Korea trying to put cyber security on G20 agenda

Source: Kim Tong-hyung, The Korea Times

Korea is attempting to present computer security as a topic of discussion for the Group of 20 meetings in Seoul later this year. However, the talks for establishing an international body for combating cybercrimes seem to be discouraged.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country’s converged regulator for broadcasting and telecommunications, and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security had vowed to include the forming of the new body as an agenda for November’s G20 summit of world leaders.

Government officials now confess to the difficulties of getting everyone on the same page. The Public Administration Ministry announced in February that the country was considering establishing the international cybercrime organizations here. But the difficulty in securing the budget, as well as the slow advancement in related research, appears to have pushed the plans to the backburner for now.

“The talks about the international body have been consistent since last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) cyber security seminar and we will continue to report on the progress of our preparation later this month,” said a ministry official.

“It will be difficult to include the talks about the international body on the G20 agenda. We have yet to achieve agreement over our plans with other G20 countries and we need more talks.”