U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Korean-American John No, Deputy Minister of Defense for East Asia, to be the Deputy Minister responsible for Indo-Pacific security policy at the Ministry of National Defense.
According to the U.S. Congress on the 3rd (local time), President Trump notified the Senate the day before that he would nominate John No, Deputy Minister of Defense for East Asia, to be the Deputy Minister for Indo-Pacific security at the Ministry of National Defense.
The Deputy Minister for Indo-Pacific security is responsible for security policy and strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, and Deputy Minister No has been serving in an acting capacity following the resignation of former Vice Minister Eli Ratner after the change of administration.
Countries under the responsibility of the Deputy Minister for Indo-Pacific security include the Korean Peninsula, as well as China, Taiwan, Japan, and India, and the Deputy Minister is classified as a senior position that must go through Senate confirmation hearings and approval, unlike the Deputy Minister.
Deputy Minister John No graduated from Brown University and Stanford Law School, and before working at the Ministry of National Defense, he served as a legal advisor on the U.S. House China Task Force. Previously, he worked as an attorney and a federal prosecutor, and is known to have served as an Army officer in Afghanistan.