▲ Choi Byong-ok (L), the director general of the defense ministry's defense policy bureau, shakes hands with Mieke Eoyang, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, as they meet for the allies' Cyber Cooperation Working Group session at the ministry in Seoul on May 9, 2023 in this photo released by the ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-cyber cooperation

S. Korea proposes regular participation in U.S.-led multinational cyber exercise

SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea proposed to regularly participate in a U.S.-led multinational cyber exercise during a session of the allies' cybersecurity dialogue earlier this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday.

The proposal to join the Cyber Flag exercise came as Seoul and Washington are seeking to deepen defense cooperation to counter growing North Korean threats from multiple domains, including cyberspace.

It was made during a two-day session of a bilateral working-level Cyber Cooperation Working Group (CCWG) in Seoul, which ended Tuesday. The U.S. side pledged to review it "positively," according to the ministry.

Hosted by the U.S. Cyber Command, the Cyber Flag exercise is designed to enhance readiness against the activities of potential malicious cyber actors and strengthen interoperability among the participating countries. South Korea participated in it for the first time last year.

At the latest CCWG session, Choi Byong-ok, the director general of the ministry's defense policy bureau, led the South Korean delegation, while the U.S. side was represented by Mieke Eoyang, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy.

The session marked the first in-person one in four years following a hiatus caused largely by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CCWG was launched in 2014 to serve as a venue for the allies' key discussions on cybersecurity. Its outcomes had been dealt with at the two countries' annual defense ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting.

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