On November 24, the European Union and the Republic of Korea held their 6th Cyber Dialogue.

The European Union and the Republic of Korea reaffirmed their commitment to an open, free, stable and secure cyberspace. Both delegations shared their views on cybersecurity recent developments and progress made both globally and in their respective regions, especially with reference to the threat landscape. They exchanged views on developments with reference to the geopolitical aspects of emerging technologies. They recalled the importance of international cooperation on cyber issues and confirmed their continued bilateral cooperation, including through annual dialogues, as well as explored potential areas for further cooperation such as within capacity building projects as well as on implementation of confidence building measures contributing to stability in cyberspace. The Dialogue also allowed for exchanges on diplomatic responses to malicious cyber activities and on possible avenues for cooperation in this area. Furthermore, the European Union and the Republic of Korea underlined their support to the establishment of a Programme of Action on advancing responsible State behavior in cyberspace that plot a path to consensus on cyber issues in the context of international security within the United Nations.

Regular cyber dialogues pursued by the European Union and the Republic of Korea since 2014 aim at strengthening cooperation and collaboration not only on bilateral and regional issues, but also on global issues, including international security in relation to cyberspace, internet governance, cybersecurity, cyber capacity building in third countries, and combatting cybercrime. The Dialogue was preceded this year by Track 1.5 EU-Republic of Korea Cyber Consultations organised by the EU Cyber Direct project and the National Security Research Institute (NSR). This form of bilateral exchange allows for discussions between experts from academia, think tanks, the private sector and governments.

Mr Wiktor Staniecki, Acting Deputy Head of the Security and Defence Policy Division at the European External Action Service chaired the EU delegation, which also included representatives from Commission services and the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU institutions (CERT-EU). EU Member States participated in the Dialogue as observers. The delegation of the Republic of Korea was led by Mr KANG Yoo-sik, Director of International Security Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The European Union will host the next EU-Republic of Korea Cyber Dialogue in Brussels in 2021.