North Korea’s state newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, has acknowledged Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States in a brief, two-sentence report published Wednesday, Bloomberg reports.
The dispatch said that Trump was sworn into office and that an inauguration ceremony had taken place in Washington the previous day. Notably, the report was devoid of the inflammatory rhetoric that North Korean state media often uses when referring to US presidents, adopting a neutral tone on the matter.
This report marks the first direct acknowledgement from Pyongyang of Trump’s return to the White House, sparking speculation about potential shifts in US policy towards North Korea. On his first day back in office, Trump told reporters that he had a “very good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, adding they “liked each other.”
“Now he is a nuclear power. I think he’d be happy to see I’m coming back,” he saaid.
Trump’s comments regarding North Korea’s nuclear status were met with immediate response from South Korea. The South Korean Foreign Ministry downplayed Trump’s statement, asserting it did not indicate US acceptance of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The ministry stated firmly that North Korea “can never” gain the status of a nuclear weapons state, emphasizing that the South Korean government will closely coordinate with the new US administration and the international community for North Korea’s denuclearization.
The geopolitical landscape has shifted significantly since Trump’s previous term in office, with Pyongyang emerging as a critical ally of Russia in the conflict in Ukraine.
Analysts note that both Trump and Kim appear more emboldened than when they initially engaged in one-on-one talks during Trump’s first presidency. This time, Trump is likely to face less resistance to his efforts to reshape the US government and its role in the world, given his current levels of public support.
However, Seoul fears the possibility of Trump again seeking to directly negotiate with Kim, which could potentially undermine South Korea’s security interests. Any perceived weakening of the alliance between Washington and Seoul or a wavering of US commitment to extended deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear threats could create instability, leading investors to feel concerned and potentially boosting public support in South Korea for developing its own atomic weapons.
Trump’s prior approach, which included summit meetings with Kim, saw him betting on personal diplomacy to overcome long-standing impasses between the two nations. The ultimate collapse of those talks, however, highlighted just how far apart the adversaries remained. Trump balked at partial concessions, and Kim refused to simply abandon his nuclear program, a stance the regime has maintained for decades.
