Senior diplomats from Korea and the United States held their first round of policy consultations on Thursday and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation for protecting critical government infrastructure and enhancing online security, Seoul officials said.
The one-day talks in Seoul were led by Song Bong-heon, South Korean ambassador for international security affairs, and Christopher Painter, coordinator for cyber issues at the U.S. State Department, officials said.
The two sides also discussed ways to jointly cope with possible cyber-terrorism by North Korea, according to officials.
South Korea has accused North Korea of staging a series of cyber-attacks on Web sites of major government agencies and financial institutions.
During the consultation, South Korea asked the U.S. to support an international conference called the 2013 Conference on Cyberspace, to be hosted by Seoul next year, aimed at ensuring online security and protecting online rights and freedoms, officials said. (Yonhap)