Anchor: U.S. Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson on Wednesday said a “new approach” toward China is necessary to make Beijing effectively reign in North Korea and its nuclear and missile programs. Appearing before a Senate committee for his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Tillerson also affirmed that the South Korea-U.S. alliance under the incoming Trump administration will remain strong.
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: [Sound bite: Rex Tillerson - nominee for secretary of state]
"Adversaries like Iran and North Korea pose grave threats to the world because of their refusal to conform to international norms."

During his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state argued that Washington must compel Beijing to crack down on North Korea.

[Sound bite: Rex Tillerson - nominee for secretary of state]
"We cannot continue to accept empty promises like the ones China has made to pressure North Korea to reform, only to shy away from enforcement."

Asked if he would impose a secondary boycott on Chinese entities with links to North Korea, Rex Tillerson said that the option would have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

[Sound bite: Rex Tillerson - nominee for secretary of state]
"If  China is not going to comply with those UN sanctions, then it's appropriate for the United States to consider actions to compel them to comply."
"To the extent that there are specific violations of the sanctions, such as the purchase of coal, which is specifically mentioned in the UN sanctions most recently, if there are gaps of enforcement, they have to be enforced."

While discussing his plans for denuclearizing North Korea, he also confirmed that the alliance with South Korea will be strengthened under the incoming Trump administration.

[Sound bite: Rex Tillerson - nominee for secretary of state]
(And the alliance that we have with South Korea is going to be strengthened under President-elect Trump's administration. Is that correct?)
"That would be my expectation, yes sir."

The former Exxon Mobil CEO broke with Trump on several foreign policy areas related to Russia, saying Moscow poses a danger to the global world.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.

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