President Park Geun-hye called for the establishment of international norms and principles to prevent threats against cyber security such as the spreading of malicious code.

“With the development of the Internet environment, we see that issues such as leaks of personal information, spam and malicious codes are rising,” Park said in her congratulatory speech at the Seoul Conference on Cyber Space 2013 on Thursday.

The international conference opened in Seoul for a two-day run with the attendance of 1,200 government officials and experts including foreign and ICT ministers from about 90 countries. 

“We should work together to establish international norms and principles for such threats while securing openness in cyberspace,” she told the participants.

She called for international cooperation in dealing with the issue, saying, “No country can solve the cyberspace issues alone.”

British Foreign Secretary William Hague echoed the call, pledging cooperation on IT security. He also suggested that governments maintain an open and dynamic cyberspace, pointing out the risks of excessive government regulation of the Internet.

Other participants including foreign ministers Julie Bishop from Australia and Carl Bildt from Sweden called for more exchanges in the Internet sector with South Korea.

Park also promised that Korea, which achieved rapid development in IT and mobile industries following industrialization over just half a century, would commit to contributing to the development of the world’s IT industry, especially by sharing experience with developing nations.

The third international meeting, following those in London in 2011 and Budapest in 2012, is aimed at addressing challenges emerging with the development of cyberspace.

The London and Budapest conferences were seen as reminding the international community of the need for comprehensive norms of responsible behavior and setting a future direction for cyber issues.

Under the theme of “global prosperity through an open and secure cyberspace ― opportunities, threats and cooperation,” 45 foreign and ICT ministers and high-ranking government officials in charge of national defense and security around the world will discuss six topics including economic growth and development, social and cultural benefits, cyber security and cyber crime.

In a video message, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized collaborative efforts against cyber crimes, mentioning the need to strengthen national-level legislation and to push for an international collaboration framework.

“We need to plug loopholes to stop perpetrators of cyber crimes and bring them to justice.”

Other participants included Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, and Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union.

“I hope the Seoul conference will be an opportunity for us to renew our commitments to reshape the future of cyberspace, and to reaffirm our partnership for the well-being of mankind,” Yun said in his address.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)