(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on July 15)

During a meeting with the representatives of the four Indo-Pacific countries - South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, known as the "IP4" nations - on Thursday in Washington D.C., President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a remark that was both timely and important. Yoon said, "strong deterrence and cooperation among like-minded countries" are two key pillars to prevent war. The leaders' meeting of the IP4 nations exemplifies a convergence of countries with shared values committed to a rules-based global order. This gathering is particularly relevant in light of the dangerous global security developments, such as the arms trade between Russia and North Korea amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Australia and New Zealand have not been seen as security partners for South Korea, despite their resilient bilateral relations with the South. However, the ongoing geopolitical shift driven by the U.S.-China rivalry has united South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, as NATO seeks to strengthen cooperation with these IP4 countries to address the dangerous spillover effects of the Russia-North Korea arms deals on both the Asia-Pacific region and Europe amid the Ukraine war. The IP4 meeting, once institutionalized, will benefit South Korea. Enhanced intelligence sharing is one of the areas South Korea can expect from the multilateral gathering. Australia and New Zealand are two of the five member countries of an English-speaking intelligence-sharing alliance known as "The Five Eyes." The other three members of this alliance are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Intelligence failure has emerged as a key challenge for the Yoon Suk Yeol government. South Korea's counter-intelligence capabilities significantly weakened during the previous Moon Jae-in government as it took a set of measures to reform intelligence agencies. Most notably, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) was deprived of its jurisdiction to investigate espionage cases as investigative powers were transferred to the police in January this year. This development is a direct result of the 2020 revision bill passed during the Moon administration. During the five years of the Moon government, South Korea's human intelligence network was significantly undermined due to a policy focus on diplomatic engagement with North Korea, which led to reduced covert operations and increased scrutiny on intelligence activities. The repeated cycle of politically motivated investigations and legislation with each new government has turned out to be self-destructive. These actions weakened the intelligence-gathering and analytical capabilities of the agencies. If South Korea and the Five Eyes members agree to share intelligence, this will help rebuild South Korea's intelligence capabilities. Since the signing of the mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and South Korea in October 1953, the South has depended significantly on this alliance to protect itself from North Korea's potential invasions. Faced with persistent and growing security threats from the North , it is understandable that South Korea's best option has been to bolster its military cooperation with the U.S. to ensure the safety of its citizens. But the global security environment has undergone a seismic shift over the past few decades. One of the most notable changes is the evolution of the concept of national defense. In the past, national defense was primarily about strengthening a country's military capabilities to cope with or deter increasingly sophisticated weapons systems from adversaries. To achieve this, countries focused on increasing their military spending. Today, cyberspace, in addition to physical territory, has become another critical domain that nations must defend. Peacetime cyberattacks, often launched by state-sponsored actors, occur every day and around the clock. No country or entity is completely safe from these attacks. The expanded concept of national defense now encompasses both physical territory and cyberspace, requiring governments to take swift and effective measures to detect and counteract cyber threats and to build robust cybersecurity systems to safeguard their national security. Due to their shared experience with cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns from countries like China, Russia, and Iran, Australia and New Zealand are well-positioned to be South Korea's partners in addressing the challenge of building robust cybersecurity defenses. By holding regular IP4 meetings, South Korea can collaborate with Australia, New Zealand, and Japan to share experience and develop effective strategies to enhance cybersecurity. This ongoing dialogue will provide opportunities for the four nations to learn from each other and achieve significant advancements in their collective cyber defense efforts. Source: Yonhap News Agency