U.S.–ROK Cyber Cooperation: Countering North Korean Cybercrime and Strengthening Active Cyber Defense

Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Strategic Technologies Program for an in-person event on U.S.–ROK Cyber Cooperation: Countering North Korean Cybercrime and Strengthening Active Cyber Defense. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 25, from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM ET at CSIS headquarters.

Cyber threats continue to grow in scale and sophistication, increasingly targeting governments, critical infrastructure, and financial systems. In response, the United States and South Korea share a strong interest in deepening cooperation to deter malicious cyber activity and strengthen collective resilience. To support this effort, CSIS and the National Security Research Institute of Korea (NSR) conducted joint research examining how a coordinated bilateral cyber resilience strategy can enhance both countries’ ability to respond to evolving threats.

This event will feature two panels exploring key dimensions of U.S.–ROK cyber cooperation. The first panel will examine how North Korean threat actors leverage cryptocurrencies and digital assets to enable cybercrime, as well as the policy and regulatory tools available to address these risks. The second panel will focus on approaches to active cyber defense, including legal, policy, and operational considerations for strengthening coordinated cyber deterrence and response.

The program will begin with opening remarks from Matt Pearl, Director of the Strategic Technologies Program at CSIS, followed by an overview of the CSIS and NSR research findings from Dong Hee Kim, Senior Researcher at NSR.

Panel I – Responding to North Korean Cybercrime (9:10–9:40 AM):
Moderated by Sunha Bae, with panelists Jiwon Ma and Jenny Jun.

Panel II – Strengthening Korea’s Active Cyber Defense (9:40–10:10 AM):
Moderated by Jim Lewis, with panelists Gary Corn, MyungHyun Go, and Emily Goldman.

This event will be held at CSIS headquarters (1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.) and will also be livestreamed. Seating is limited. Please RSVP via the registration link provided.