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| ▲ Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 14, 2025 in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap) |
Pentagon chief nominee-N Korea
Pentagon chief nominee calls N. Korea 'nuclear power'
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth has described North Korea as a "nuclear power" that poses a threat to global stability, while noting the need to enhance missile defense systems to counter the threat.
Hegseth made the remarks in written answers submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Incoming President Donald Trump nominated Hegseth -- former Fox News Channel host and Army veteran with tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan -- in November.
"The DPRK's status as a nuclear power, its intense focus on increasing the range of missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads, and its growing cyber capabilities all pose a threat to stability on the Korean peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region, and globally," he wrote. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"Those threats are of particular concern given the DPRK's proximity to close U.S. allies that base U.S. troops," he added.
Although Pyongyang is estimated to have a nuclear arsenal, U.S. officials have refused to publicly recognize North Korea as a nuclear power -- a status that the recalcitrant regime has sought from the outside world.
The nominee underscored the importance of missile defense against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
"Improving missile defense systems, especially for the Homeland, will be important to countering the DPRK threat, in addition to efforts to stem the growth of its nuclear and missile arsenals," he said.
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