SEOUL, KOREA - Seoul is the third city to host the Cyberspace conference which was first launched by the United Kingdom in 2011 then was held by the Hungarian capital Budapest. Representative from more than 90 countries will discuss issues pertaining to cyberspace, cyber security and means to enhance electronic capabilities of developing countries. Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 will be in South Korea on October 17 to 18, 2013.
The conference will offer a platform for approximately 800 delegates from the 90 countries including the personnel from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), major international organizations such as the OECD, and other global information and communications enterprises.
Choi Sung-joo who is the Ambassador for International Security Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Korea, joins Korea IT Times for a Q&A session regarding Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013.
Q1. What kinds of issues are prioritized on the agenda of Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013
□ Under the theme “Global Prosperity through an Open and Secure Cyberspace,” the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 will probably revolve around six major issues: economic growth and development; socio-cultural benefits; cyber security; international security; cyber crime; and developing nations’ capacity building.
① Economic Growth and Development: Slide presentations focused on the Internet’s successful contributions to economic development will be made at the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 so as to provide developing nations with policy guidelines and solutions regarding Internet-driven economic growth.
② Socio-cultural Benefits: Socio-cultural benefits,* such as scaled-up cultural exchanges through cyberspace and the expansion of communications and networks, will be discussed. And ways to promote fundamental values (e.g. freedom, trust, etc.) and to build a sound Internet culture will be put on the table to help more people share the same socio-cultural benefits brought on by the Internet.
* Socio-cultural benefits:
- Formation of human networks and sharing of a variety of contents through cyberspace
- Enhancement of efficiency through e-government systems and proactive participation in policy making processes
- Narrowing the information gap and providing the underprivileged with greater educational opportunities
- Building of on-, off-line infrastructures (e-government, e-Health, e-Learning, etc.)
③ Cyber Security: Ways for stepped-up public-private and international cooperation in responding to security threats, such as various kinds of online violations as a result of an advance in ICT (information and communication technology) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, will be discussed.
④ International Security: Ways to rev up international collaboration, such as the development of confidence building measures (CBM), will be discussed to foil cyber terrorism that threatens national security and prevent nation-to-nation disputes triggered by varied cyber attacks.
⑤ Cyber Crime: The current state of cyber crimes will be diagnosed to pave the way for coordinated international investigations into cyber crimes.
⑥ Capacity Building: Data on the international community assisting developing nations in building an Internet economy will be offered to help benefactors share the best practices of digitally supporting developing nations and brainstorm desirable capacity building models.
□ In particular, ways to effectively deal with the downside of cyberspace (e.g. cyber attacks and leaks of personally identifiable information) and ways for cyberspace to make a continued contribution to socioeconomic development will be contemplated.
Q2. What are your plans aimed to enhance South Korea’s leadership and competitiveness in cyber security through the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013
□ In a bid to spur on discussions among participants at the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013, host nation South Korea will spearhead hammering out ways to improve international collaboration in the cyber security sector and will put forward some desirable directions for future cooperation in addressing cyber security issues.
□ In addition, we will hold an ICT exhibition (cyber security, cutting-edge ICT devices, software, etc.) on the sidelines of the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 in order to showcase domestic security companies’ state-of-the-art ICT products and information security solutions. We hope that such an exhibition would help domestic cyber security companies make inroads into overseas markets.
Q3. What kinds of plans do you think would be thrashed out at the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 to strengthen international coordination and collaboration for a safer cyberspace
□ With a rapid advance in ICT technologies, cyber attacks on CII (Critical Information Infrastructure) and major institutions, not to mention personal information leaks, have been on the upswing.
o Since it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where the cyber attack originated from, identify the mastermind behind the cyber attack and know the motive of the attack, attacks in cyberspace can morph into cross-border disputes in reality.
□ Therefore, the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 is scheduled to offer an opportunity for in-depth discussions on ways for reinforced international collaboration including the development of confidence building measures (CBM), which are designed to create a credible, safe cyberspace through increased transparency.
o Furthermore, discussions on closer cooperation between law enforcement authorities and the private sector will take place to toughen responses to cyber crimes.
Q4. Could you tell us about the size and the current situation of the worldwide cyber security market and about where the domestic cyber security industry stands at the moment
□ With cyber crimes continuously on an upward trajectory, the worldwide cyber security market is projected to continue its growth.
*Source: data released by Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology and IDC
o The worldwide cyber security market, currently valued at approximately KRW 190 trillion, is anticipated to hit about KRW 314 trillion in 2017. The worldwide cyber security market has grown at an average annual rate of 10.5% and is expected to maintain its double digit growth down the road.
o As for nations’ share of the global cyber security market, the US came out on top taking 51.2% of the global cyber security market, followed by the EU (37%), Japan (5.7%) and Israel (4.1%). Armed with global cyber security mammoths like Symantec, Cisco and Oracle, the US has been leading the global cyber security market covering IPS, network security, OS security and server security.
*Source: IDC & RNCOS. <Global IT Security Market Forecast to 2013>
□ The domestic cyber security industry has continued to expand, propped up by South Korea’s excellent information technologies (IT) and government support.
o Though the South Korean cyber security industry makes up only 2.4% of the global cyber security market, it has been growing at an average annual rate of 21.6% thanks to its cutting-edge information technologies. The domestic market is estimated to grow almost threefold to KRW 13.7 trillion by 2017, probably taking up about 4.3% of the global cyber security market.
o The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning of South Korea (MSIP) has recently released the “Roadmap for the Development of the Information Protection Industry” and the “Roadmap for Reinforcing National Cyber Security.”
Q5. Could you elaborate on the ramifications of the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 for the worldwide cyber security industry
□ The Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 is expected to improve the international community’s understanding of the importance of bolstering cyber security, therefore pushing up demand for cyber security technologies and making a contribution to the development of relevant industries.
