Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
INTERVIEW Democracies at risk of persistent foreign manipulation, EU official warns
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for technology sovereignty, security and democracy, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Nov. 27. Courtesy of EU Delegation Office in Seoul
By Kim Hyun-bin
Virkkunen seeks joint AI research with Korea to bolster cyber defenses
The European Commission’s executive vice president for technology sovereignty, security and democracy has warned that democracies are facing “constant hybrid attacks” from foreign actors and called for closer cooperation with Korea to counter cyberthreats, misinformation and online manipulation.
Henna Virkkunen’s remarks come as Korea faces a growing debate over foreign influence online, following an update by X — formerly Twitter — that began displaying users’ access locations. The update revealed that several high-volume political accounts supportive of President Lee Jae Myung had been accessing the platform from China.
On Nov. 25, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party called for mandatory nationality labeling for users posting on Korean online communities, citing public anger over X’s new disclosure feature. The revelation showed that a widely followed account using Lee’s 2022 campaign photo had made more than 65,000 posts critical of the PPP from an IP address traced to China.
“This is not just one account,” Joo wrote on Facebook. “It is difficult to understand why political posts about Korea are being mass-produced from China. If pro-China forces are operating these accounts in an organized manner, this becomes an issue of interference and manipulation of public opinion.”
Joo urged passage of a pending bill requiring Korean portals to display the nationality of commenters, saying the issue “directly concerns national security.”
Speaking hours after the controversy surged in Seoul, Virkkunen said Europe faces comparable threats — particularly from Russia, which she accused of waging sustained disinformation campaigns during its war with Ukraine.
“Our democracies are very much under attack,” she said. “Russia is spreading misinformation, fake news and propaganda online all the time. This is a core security issue for us.”
She noted that foreign actors often mix cyberattacks, propaganda and coordinated manipulation to destabilize societies.
Virkkunen pointed to the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which requires major platforms to identify and mitigate systemic risks to elections and democratic discourse.
“All illegal content must be taken down. In Europe, the rules are the same online and offline,” she said. “X is already under investigation for noncompliance. We have investigations open against all large online platforms.”
She emphasized that platforms “must comply” if they want to operate in the EU, despite often resisting regulations that affect their business interests.
When asked whether Europe coordinates with Korea on cyberthreats and foreign manipulation, Virkkunen said cooperation “is not yet deep,” largely because the EU’s platform governance rules are highly specialized.
“But we are very willing to share our experiences,” she said. “These platforms have enormous power in our societies and economies. They cannot operate only by their own terms and conditions.”
gettyimagesbank
Virkkunen highlighted the EU’s new Democracy Shield Initiative, which strengthens election protection, platform monitoring and rapid response systems against manipulation.
The EU also works with platforms under a voluntary Code of Practice, trusted flaggers and preelection roundtables to identify actors attempting to exploit online environments.
“Before elections, we assess what specific risks there could be,” she said. “Hostile actors often combine cyberattacks and disinformation. Platforms must devote significant resources to prevent this.”
Responding to concerns that Korea may be vulnerable to foreign manipulation and that public awareness remains low, Virkkunen stressed that cybersecurity must be paired with citizen education and strong independent media.
“People need good digital skills and media literacy to critically analyze what they see,” she said. “Older generations often do not have strong digital skills, which makes disinformation easier to spread.”
She added: “Trusted, independent media and quality journalism are essential. Citizens need accurate information, not only what they see on social media.”
Virkkunen said she sees “significant potential” for joint research and cross-border testing in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity as Korea emerges as a leader in generative AI. She added that such cooperation should also bolster defenses for critical infrastructure, including telecommunications and energy networks, which are increasingly targeted by hybrid operations.
“We see cyberattacks, propaganda and disinformation often happening together,” she said. “Hostile actors aim to destabilize societies and create mistrust. We must all be prepared.”
gettyimagesbank
Cooperation on AI, semiconductors
Virkkunen called for deeper cooperation with Korea on AI, semiconductors and cybersecurity, saying the two partners must strengthen their digital alliance amid intensifying global technological rivalry.
Virkkunen was in Seoul for a two-day visit marking the third anniversary of the Korea-EU Digital Partnership, launched on Nov. 28, 2022. She said advancing that framework is her priority as both sides reassess their strategic technology road maps.
“It’s a very important moment to look at the next steps,” Virkkunen said. “Technological competition is extremely hard globally, so it’s crucial for all of us to build our own capacities and work very closely with like-minded partners like Korea.”
Virkkunen said the EU wants to expand joint industrial projects after three years of collaboration focused largely on research. Existing cooperative projects include work on semiconductors, 6G networks and quantum technologies.
“We’ve had very good collaborative research projects, and now it’s time to foster concrete industrial cooperation,” she said. “That means joint AI innovation projects and further cooperation on semiconductors.”
Korea participates in the EU’s Horizon Europe research scheme, where researchers on both sides have shown “very big interest” in working together, according to Virkkunen. Europe is also seeking to strengthen links in quantum science, where it leads globally in scientific publications and emerging startups.
“Quantum will be the next very important technology, including quantum chips,” she said. “This is also a promising area for cooperation between our regions.”
Four joint semiconductor research projects are already underway, Virkkunen added, but the EU wants to move beyond research to reinforcing the resilience of the global chip supply chain.
“We are willing to explore concrete investment opportunities for Korean companies in Europe,” she said. “Korea is very strong in semiconductors, and with the rise of AI, it’s essential to have the capacity to design and manufacture AI chips.”
As the EU finalizes sweeping regulations such as the AI Act and Data Act, Virkkunen stressed the need for international cooperation to ensure trustworthy technology development.
“When AI decides who gets a loan or operates transport systems, those models must meet clear standards before entering the market,” she said. She added that work with Korea could support safer cross-border data flows and interoperability.