Senate confirms Korean American official as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has confirmed a Korean American official as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, a post that deals with defense cooperation with South Korea and other regional allies and partners, Congress' website showed Friday. On Thursday, the upper chamber approved John Noh, who has served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, in a 53-43 vote. The confirmation came as Seoul and Washington are working to deepen security cooperation and "modernize" the bilateral alliance amid North Korea's advancing nuclear and ballistic missile threats and China's growing assertiveness. In his written answers to questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee in October, Noh said that many South Korean defense capabilities could contribute to deterring China, as he stressed that the United States' defense priorities should focus on addressing the "most serious" military threat of the Asian superpower. Regarding China's naval activities in the Yellow Sea, Noh said that those activities appear to be aimed at "intimidating" South Korea. The