By UN Journal Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the International Symposium on Cybercrime Response 2024 (ISCR 2024) at the Fairmont Ambassador Hotel in Seoul on Aug. 27.

It is an annual international event organized by the National Police Agency to strengthen international cooperation among law enforcement agencies from around the world and to enhance their cybercrime response capabilities through collaboration with private experts. 

It has been held since 2000, and this year marked its 25th edition, the first time a sitting president has attended.

The President attended the symposium to encourage participants from all sectors for their efforts to achieve the highest level of cybercrime response capabilities and to express Korea's commitment to becoming a global leader in digital solidarity.

In his congratulatory remarks, the President noted that the rapid development of new technologies, including AI, has made it increasingly difficult to combat cybercrime, and that state-sponsored hacking organizations have reached a point where cyberattacks threaten individuals, businesses, and national security.

The President said that in February, he announced the National Cyber Security Strategy to aggressively respond to these cybersecurity threats. Based on the strategy, the President said, the government will foster top-notch human resources and further speed up the development of cybersecurity technologies.

Yoon also emphasized the need for international solidarity and cooperation in cybersecurity at the Camp David U.S.-Japan-Korea Summit in August last year and the NATO Summit in July this year, saying that the international community must work together to better respond to crimes in cyberspace.

In closing, the President pledged that the South Korean government will continue to provide the necessary support and attention to ensure that AI digital technologies expand human freedom and well-being, and that future generations can enjoy the benefits of such innovations.

The President went on to praise the efforts of the Korean National Police for their efforts to combat emerging crimes after watching a demonstration at the K-Science and Security Pavilion, where he saw the process of recovering broken digital devices for forensic work and a system that uses AI technology to analyze children's abnormal behavior in CCTV footage and quickly detect scenes of child abuse.

Its opening ceremony was attended by domestic and international law enforcement agencies, global IT companies, major international organizations (UN, Interpol, Europol, ASEAN, Council of Europe), and diplomatic missions from the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Japan, as well as public institutions, academia, and private organizations.

It was attended by more than 300 people from the government, including Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min and National Police Chief Cho Ji-ho, and high-ranking officials from the President's Office.