US cyber commander in Seoul for ‘important, timely’ discussion

Paul Nakasone, US director of the National Security Agency, has arrived in South Korea to discuss the two countries’ alliance and cyber cooperation, government officials here confirmed Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, Nakasone, who is also the commander of the US Cyber Command, met with Chun Jung-soo, commander for Korea’s Cyber Operations Command, to discuss reinforcing cooperation in the area of cybersecurity, a military official said.

Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris posted a tweet about Nakasone’s trip to Korea.

“Great visit by General Paul Nakasone, Commander US Cyber Command @USCYBERCOM and Director of the National Security Agency,” Harris said in the tweet, with a picture of him and Nakasone.

“Important and timely discussions with ROK counterparts. Thanks, Gen Nakasone, for visiting the Peninsula.”

ROK refers to the Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea.

Nakasone is believed to have arrived in Seoul on the weekend, though the exact date has not been revealed.

In a cyber defense summit in October, the US director criticized Russia and China for heightening cybersecurity threats -- with Russia “waging an information war” against the US, and China abusing social media platforms -- and stressed the importance of cooperation between allies.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)