Top U.S. general nominee calls N. Korea 'immediate security challenge'

The nominee for U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman John Caine criticized North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, while calling for trilateral security cooperation among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

Lee Seung-jae has more.

During a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, top U.S. general nominee John Caine called North Korea's nuclear and missile programs an "immediate security challenge."

The retired Air Force Lieutenant General, who has been chosen by U.S. President Donald Trump to be the next chief of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised the concerns in a written statement submitted in advance to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Caine said if confirmed, he would assess the U.S. military presence in South Korea and Japan, and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. President.

The nominee also stressed that North Korea's nuclear, missile, and cyber capabilities continue to threaten not just the U.S. but its allies "on a global scale."

Caine also expressed support for trilateral security cooperation between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.

He vowed to continue advocating the use of the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework as a blueprint for military cooperation if confirmed.

The framework was signed by the defense chiefs of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo last July, which was seen as a move to formalize their trilateral security cooperation.

The top U.S. general nominee also raised concerns that North Korea's cooperation with Russia may provide an opportunity for Pyongyang to improve its missile capabilities.

He says the regime had provided ballistic missiles to Russia that were used against Ukraine, marking the first time North Korean missile systems have been used in actual combat.

Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.