Cyber police to train ICC officials

Internet police in South Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries, will share experience and knowhow with the International Criminal Court, officials said Monday.

The Cyber Terror Response Center, the National Police Agency’s Internet crime unit, plans to teach its investigative techniques to ICC investigators, as the Hague-based organization requested Seoul’s help.

“The ICC expressed the need for e-mail tracing techniques to investigate war crimes, so we decided to accept their request,” said a police official.

The police here also accepted the ICC’s request for help in analyzing digital evidence compiled during investigations.

Along with the ICC, the police also signed a memorandum of agreement with the Netherlands Forensic Institute, the Internet crime agency under the Netherlands Justice Ministry, regarding cooperation with Internet investigations.

“We will decide the details of the itinerary of training, dispatch of instructors and other logistics after consulting with the ICC,” said the official.

The police are looking forward to actively exchanging information on the development of smartphone analyzing tools.

The cyber crime unit here has also signed MOUs with England, France, the U.S. and Germany.

The ICC is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, if national authorities with jurisdiction are unwilling or unable to do so.

South Korea is a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC on Nov. 13, 2002. The ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide possibly committed on the territory of South Korea or by its nationals since Feb. 1, 2003, the date when the statute came into force here.

By Robert Lee (rjmlee@heraldcorp.com)