U.S. and Korea to pursue science and ICT policy partnership

Some of the news coming out of President Park Geun-hye's visit to the United States is encouraging and relates to topics treated in this blog.   Specifically, I'm referring to the announcement in connection with her visit to Washington that the United States and South Korea will begin regular bilateral consultations on ICT policy.  As noted in a fact sheet on the United States -- Republic of Korea alliance  released by the spokesperson of the U.S. State Department yesterday, "U.S.-ROK cooperation on information and communications technology policy, Internet issues, and cybersecurity continues to expand. Both countries are pleased to announce that bilateral consultations on cyber issues will take place this summer, in preparation for the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace on October 17-18, 2013. The United States and Republic of Korea have decided to establish a bilateral Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Forum. The ICT Policy Forum will be a recurring dialogue to address policy issues vital to the ICT sector and the Internet economy, including issues such as data privacy, regulatory practices, Internet freedom, and Internet governance."
I would simply note that the establishment of this bilateral policy forum is long overdue and that it promises to be a mutually beneficial endeavor.