SEOUL– South Korea’s state intelligence agency said Monday a flag-raising ceremony was held in Estonia to mark its membership in a cyber defense group under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
It was held last Thursday (local time) as the National Intelligence Service (NIS) was formally admitted into the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) based in Tallinn, Estonia, along with Canada and Luxembourg.
“It is a great honor to have the three countries, including South Korea, as members of our group,” Col. Jaak Tarien, director of the cyber defense center, was quoted as saying in a statement released by the NIS.
In cooperation with other member countries, the NIS will conduct cyber defense training and research activities to respond to cyberthreats.
South Korea is the first Asian member and non-NATO country to join the NATO cyber defense group.
An official at the NIS stressed that South Korea’s latest membership does not mean joining NATO itself.
The center was established in 2008 in response to a Russian cyberattack that crippled Estonia’s state networks.
South Korea’s admittance increased the number of members to 32, including 27 NATO states.
Source: Yonhap News Agency