...
By Micah McCartney
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to expand his country's nuclear arsenal while condemning the U.S. and its allies as a destabilizing force pushing the region toward war.
Newsweek has contacted the North Korean Embassy in China and the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
North Korea has amassed an estimated 50 nuclear warheads since its first test in 2006, per the Federation of American Scientists. This arsenal, which analysts say is central to Kim's quest for regime legitimacy, continues to fuel tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Read More on World
Compounding these tensions are Pyongyang's frequent ballistic missile tests in recent years and the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump met with Kim three times during his first term, including the February 2019 Hanoi summit, which fell apart when Trump insisted on full denuclearization as a condition for any sanctions relief.
What To Know
During his visit to the North Korean Defense Ministry on Saturday, marking the 77th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, Kim condemned U.S.-South Korean "nuclear war simulation" exercises and the growing trilateral cooperation with Japan, calling them a "grave challenge to the security environment of our state," according to state media.
...
Kim stressed that North Korea "does not want unnecessary tension" but vowed to take "sustained countermeasures" to maintain the regional balance of power and prevent "the outbreak of a new war."
He also referenced "a series of new plans" to strengthen deterrents and reaffirmed that he would further develop his country's nuclear forces.
Kim accused Washington of stirring up crises worldwide, citing Syria and the Gaza Strip, and blamed continued U.S. military support for Ukraine for prolonging the war, now nearing its third anniversary.
Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have publicly acknowledged the presence of North Korean fighters in Russia. Seoul, the Pentagon and Kyiv estimate that more than 11,000 North Koreans have been deployed to Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine opened a counteroffensive in August.
Shortly after taking office, Trump referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power" in a departure from typical U.S. government rhetoric. That term is usually reserved for the five nuclear-armed states recognized under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
His remark, echoing a similar statement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his Senate confirmation hearing, has raised concerns in South Korea over a possible U.S. policy shift away from the denuclearization of the regime, analysts say.
What People Are Saying
Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Newsweek:
"Right now, if we take Kim at his word, he has no interest in entering any room with the United States, regardless of what the terms of a conversation may be. He continues to be traumatized by what happened in 2019 in Hanoi.
"That said, it would be useful for the new administration to call Kim's bluff by fundamentally changing the terms of an invitation to talk: this would mean that the president could communicate that talks would not be about Kim relinquishing his nuclear weapons, but about forging a new type of relationship between the United States and North Korea. For the U.S., this would mean effectively tolerating North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons in the near-term.
We're currently effectively doing that anyway, but it'd be better to have some diplomatic overture that could help reduce the risk of nuclear war and bring more stability to Northeast Asia."
What Happens Next
Trump has suggested he is open to another round of talks with Kim, saying in a recent interview, "I got along with him." He added, "He happens to be a smart guy."
Update 2/11/25, 12:40 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and a comment from Ankit Panda.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines