Seoul: 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. According to Yonhap News Agency, 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. President Donald Trump nominated him for the assistant secretary post in June. Before joining the Pentagon, Noh served as deputy general counsel on the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Prior to his stint on the committee, Noh was an attorney in private practice and worked on cross-border investigations. Noh is a graduate of Br own University and Stanford Law School.