SEOUL, KOREA- The Conference on Cyberspace 2013 was held from the 17th to 18th of October at COEX in Seoul.
This year the two day conference hosted 1600 representatives from 80 countries. It is the largest international conference since the establishment of the Park administration.
The Conference on Cyberspace first started as a suggestion from the United Kingdom to establish a higher level international forum to discuss international and local security, economics, society, and crimes relating to cyberspace as well as to develop international rules and find ways to build trust. After the launch of the first conference, which was held in London 2011, the second conference was held in Budapest, with ‘Safety and Reliability for Freedom and Prosper’ as its main theme. This year, in Seoul, marks the third edition.
At the opening ceremony, which was successfully held on the 17th, representatives from over 87 countries including President Park Geun Hye, Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Choi Mun-kee, Minister of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, William Jefferson Hague, United Kingdom’s Minister of Diplomacy, and Janos Martonyi, Hungary’s Minister of Diplomacy along with 1600 delegates from different international bodies including Hamadoun Toure, Secretary General of ITU.
After discussing Korea’s assistance to developing countries developing e-Governments systems, for example, President Park said “We hope that various creative discussions will be held at this conference to help the advancement of ICT of developing countries.”
On the increasing intellectualization of cyber terror with malicious codes, President Park said, “We will work hard to maintain the openness of cyberspace and yet still put in constructive efforts to secure its stability,” assuring that Korea will contribute to the advancement of cyberspace through their outstanding ICT technology.
In the following opening speech, Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of cooperation between nations especially in cyberspace and hoped that through the Seoul conference the international society could unite and develop an ‘International Cyber Rule’.
High ranking officials from participating countries also contributed their opinions on international cooperation for the advancement of cyberspace.
William J. Hague, Minister of Diplomacy of the United Kingdom, said “After 2 years since its launch in London, the conference on cyberspace has experienced many great developments”, adding that although the position of nations on major cyber problems may differ the international community should create trust to stand united against cyber threats and find ways to enjoy economic benefits.
Minister of Diplomacy of Hungary, Janos Martonyi also encouraged international cooperation in creating a safe cyberspace with plenty of opportunities. He continued, “We hope that through the various workshops on pending issues held at this conference, the joint objectives of the Hungarian and Korean governments could be achieved”.
Secretary General of UN, Ban Ki-moon, also sent his regards through video at the opening ceremonies increasing the importance of the conference. Secretary General Ban said “This year’s conference being held in Seoul is very meaningful and will provide a chance to find our joint visions and course of development on cyberspace as an IT powerhouse”.
The conference which was held until the 18th had various government and private speakers give presentations and discussions on 6 agendas: ▲ Economic growth and development ▲Social cultural privileges ▲Cyber security ▲ International Security ▲ Capacity Building.
