Inaugural United States-Japan-Republic of Korea Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group Meeting on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Cyber Activities

On December 7, Japan hosted the first meeting of the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK) Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group to counter cyber threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), following the establishment of trilateral partnership announced at the Camp David Trilateral Summit in August.  Led by U.S. Deputy Special Representative for the DPRK Dr. Jung Pak, Japanese Ambassador for Cyber Policy Ishizuki Hideo, and ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General for North Korean Nuclear Affairs Lee Jun-il, the meeting underscored the need for close trilateral and global collaboration to disrupt the DPRK’s ability to generate revenue through malicious cyber activity, crypto thefts, and IT workers, which it uses to fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs.

Through this working group, the United States, the ROK, and Japan will pursue a wide range of trilateral actions to disrupt DPRK IT worker networks; engage private industry on the DPRK cyber threat; and coordinate trilateral capacity building assistance.  The Working Group meeting also focused on determining further areas of strategic focus for the group.

For the latest update on tactics used by DPRK IT workers to fraudulently obtain employment with companies around the world, read the most recent public service announcement  that provides additional guidance on the DPRK IT Worker Advisory .  Follow the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy on LinkedIn and Twitter (@StateCDP) for more.