South Korea’s spy agency joins NATO cyber defence group

South Korea’s state intelligence agency on Thursday said it has joined a cyber defence group under the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as the first Asian member.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) was formally admitted into the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) based in Tallinn, Estonia, the same day and 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.

The centre was established in 2008 in response to a Russian cyber attack that crippled Estonia’s state networks.

South Korea’s admittance increased the number of members to 32, including 27 NATO states.