The U.S. Senate has confirmed Korean American John Noh as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs. The 53-43 vote strengthens U.S. defense ties with South Korea amid North Korean threats and Chinese assertiveness. Noh highlighted South Korea's defense capabilities in deterring China during his confirmation process.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Korean American John Noh as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs on December 19 (local time), in a 53-43 vote. This role oversees defense cooperation with South Korea and other regional allies. Noh previously served as deputy assistant secretary for East Asia.
The confirmation occurs as Seoul and Washington deepen security ties and "modernize" their alliance amid North Korea's nuclear and missile advances and China's growing assertiveness. In written responses to the Senate Armed Services Committee in October, Noh stated that "many South Korean defense capabilities could contribute to deterring China," emphasizing that U.S. priorities should address the Asian superpower's "most serious" military threat.
On China's naval activities in the Yellow Sea, Noh described them as aimed at "intimidating" South Korea, referring to Beijing's installation of steel structures in the Provisional Maritime Zone, an overlapping sea area between the two nations.
President Donald Trump nominated Noh for the position in June. Before joining the Pentagon, he was deputy general counsel on the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and previously worked as an attorney in private practice on cross-border investigations. Noh graduated from Brown University and Stanford Law School.
This appointment underscores the strategic importance of the U.S.-South Korea alliance in a rapidly evolving Indo-Pacific security landscape.
