2024 International Symposium on Cybercrime Response (ISCR): platform for elevating global cybersecurity

By Woo Jong-soo

What is cybersecurity? Joseph Nye Jr., a renowned political scientist, noted that “security is like oxygen,” emphasizing its fundamental importance.

As the head of the National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), I would like to draw a comparison between cybersecurity and oxygen. Just as we take the air we breathe for granted, we often overlook the cybersecurity measures that protect our daily lives.

However, once compromised, restoring cybersecurity can be as challenging as purifying polluted air.

The advent of information and communications technology (ICT) has empowered us to trade cryptocurrencies, remotely control home appliances, express opinions freely online and gain insights into one another’s perspectives.

However, on the other side, we face troubling realities: cryptocurrencies are exploited by criminals, leaked personal information is rapidly disseminated online and unchecked false information spreads without restriction.

One of the key characteristics of oxygen is its unobstructed flow. Similarly, to combat increasingly sophisticated and transnational cybercrime in the boundless realm of cyberspace, cybersecurity must also transcend geographical and linguistic barriers through swift and coordinated international cooperation.

To that end, the Korean police are collaborating with overseas law enforcement institutions in countries such as the U.S. Japan, France, Netherlands, Australia and Singapore. Additionally, partnerships with international institutions such as Europol and Interpol and global IT firms including Google, Apple and Binance are also playing a crucial role in these efforts.

Building upon our international cooperation network, the Korean police have achieved significant milestones.

In collaboration with Australian authorities, the Korean police executed a seizure and search operation at the residence of an individual in Australia who operated a website distributing illegal sexual exploitation materials, and obtained crucial evidence for the investigation.

We also analyzed evidence on a suspect who hacked a cryptocurrency exchange in collaboration with the French police, which has confirmed the suspect’s charges. Additionally, the Korean police are exchanging real-time information with the U.S. FBI to respond to ‘Kimsuky,’ known as North Korea’s hacker group, and we are enhancing international cooperation by deploying liaison officers to Europol.

The Korean police will not remain complacent. Instead, to prepare for the future, we will host the 2024 International Symposium on Cybercrime Response (ISCR) in Seoul from Aug. 27 to 29 and invite cybersecurity experts from around the world to participate.

The event will serve as a platform for experts dedicated to building a robust cyber ecosystem to share their visions, ideas and investigative techniques. Under the theme “Cybersecurity: From Here and Beyond,” it will facilitate valuable exchanges and collaborations.

The ISCR is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and has become one of the flagship events hosted by the KNPA. I believe this milestone underscores its status as a premier platform for cybersecurity experts from around the world.

I look forward to reinforcing the cybersecurity capabilities of the Korean police from this year’s ISCR and elevating the global standards of cybersecurity.

The writer is deputy commissioner general for investigation at the National Police Agency.