The International Cybersecurity Cooperation Dilemma and Implications for EU-South Korea Relations

This chapter focuses on the international cybersecurity cooperation dilemma. Cybersecurity is a common concern within the international community. With the breakneck development of the Internet, countries have gradually formed cooperation mainly involving models of international conferences, international organizations, and international treaties. Despite this, international cybersecurity cooperation is still insufficient, mainly due to fragmented mechanisms, poor effectiveness, and camp-based confrontations. From a realist point of view, these problems arise from objective factors such as differences in willingness, interests, and demands, amplified by gaps in strength, cost sharing, benefit distribution, and technical uncertainties. From the perspective of constructivism, there are also contributing factors such as misperceptions caused by stereotypes and misperceptions inherent to the characteristics of cyberspace. EU-South Korea cybersecurity cooperation should be open and inclusive to eliminate misperceptions, develop a tailor-made framework for cybersecurity cooperation, establish a dedicated cybersecurity cooperation mechanism, and pursue greater autonomy in the cyberspace of confrontation between camps. In their cooperation there is room for the EU and South Korea to play a greater role in cybersecurity.