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| President Park Geun-hye and other participants applaud during the opening ceremony of the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 at COEX in southern Seoul, Thursday. Sitting next to her is U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague. / Yonhap |
By Kim Tae-gyu
President Park Geun-hye called for a global effort to close the digital divide at the start of the 2013 Seoul Conference on Cyberspace, Thursday.
"To close the still-prevalent digital divide, the international community should come up with more practical countermeasures against the widening gap," Park said.
The two-day meeting under the theme "Global prosperity through an open and secure cyberspace" is being attended by 1,600 representatives from 87 countries and 18 global organizations.
"More than 4 billion people still cannot enjoy the benefits of the Internet. The digital divide is a significant task that should be tackled immediately," she said. "I hope the Seoul conference will be able to contribute to the creation of open and secure cyberspace, and help the global village prosper through the sharing of experiences and visions."
Park said the development of the Internet and cyberspace provides sources of innovation to all related sectors, spearheading economic growth and cultural enrichment across the world.
However, she pointed out that there are also many concerns on top of the digital divide, including cyber security and cybercrimes such as hacking and the spreading of malicious codes.
"Cyberspace is increasingly vulnerable to security risks such as the leakage of personal data, spam and the spread of malicious codes. We need to come up with global principles to prevent such things from occurring, without compromising its openness."
In his opening remarks, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se stressed that inter-state cooperation is more important than anything else, stating the need for establishing global standards in cyberspace.
"Cyberspace is a place for immense possibilities and an unchartered continent of the future. To make it one of prosperity and opportunities, international cooperation is essential," Yun said.
Chairmen of the previous two conferences ― U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague and Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi ― also delivered speeches on concerted efforts to better manage cyberspace.
The United Kingdom hosted the inaugural conference in 2011 in response to demands that a common forum was needed where the world could discuss concerns related to the Internet and cyberspace. Hungary hosted the second conference last year.
For the third forum held at COEX in southern Seoul, participants will deal with six topics ― economic growth and development; social and cultural benefits; cyber security; international security; cybercrime; and capacity building.
Delegates are expected to agree to the "Seoul Principles," which will establish a set of basic rules addressing various cyberspace issues. Two separate documents will also be announced to share best practices for cyberspace management.
