South Korea becomes 1st Asian nation to join NATO’s cyber group

With inclusion of Seoul, number of Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence's members rises to 32
South Korea becomes 1st Asian nation to join NATO’s cyber group

South Korea on Thursday became the first Asian nation to join NATO’s cyber defense group, according to the country’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The NIS was formally admitted into the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) based in Tallinn, Estonia, Yonhap News reported.

With Seoul’s admission, the number of the group members has now risen to 32, including 27 NATO members.

It “will represent South Korea in the center's training and research activities.”

“We plan to strengthen our cyber response capabilities to a world-class level by increasing the number of our staff sent to the center and expanding the scope of joint training,” the NIS said.

NATO established the CCDCOE in 2008 in response to an alleged Russian cyberattack that “crippled” Estonia's state networks.