How to improve the ROK and U.S. military alliance against North Korea's threats to cyberspace: lessons from NATO's defense cooperation

Abstract

This research explores how South Korea, or the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the U.S. military can cooperate against common cyber threats on the Korean peninsula through open-source data research. The purpose of this research is to suggest recommendations for policy makers on how to exploit North Korea's vulnerabilities and how to mitigate the weaknesses of the ROK and U.S. alliance. Furthermore, it identifies lessons that the ROK and U.S. alliance can glean from NATO's cyber cooperation. To maintain the balance of power with the ROK, North Korea has focused on the development of asymmetric capabilities. As part of this effort, North Korea's offensive cyber capabilities have targeted South Korea for several years. The ROK's inadequate defense against North Korea's cyber-attacks has caused anxiety for the ROK, which has influenced ROK-U.S. military operations. The study, however, also finds North Korea has four vulnerabilities related to cyberspace. This information can be useful for the ROK and U.S. alliance, which has affirmed its intentions to broaden the cooperation to cyberspace. As cyber cooperation is still an immature cooperation system, it could also benefit from the example of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's endeavors to achieve cooperation in cyberspace.