US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed Burma’s ties with North Korea during a meeting with his Burmese counterpart on the sidelines of a defense meeting in Brunei, according to a report by UPI. “The secretary discussed the importance of continued progress on reform and the importance of Myanmar severing military ties to North Korea,” US Defense Department spokesman George Little said in a statement on Thursday. Last month, US Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen announced sanctions on the head of Burma’s Directorate of Defense Industries, Lt-Gen Thein Htay, for his ties to the North Korean military.