North Korea’s denuclearization drops simultaneously from U.S.,Chinese security documents

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North Korea’s denuclearization drops simultaneously from U.S.,Chinese security documents

Published: 08 Dec. 2025, 00:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square on Oct. 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party. Shown is the new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile. [KOREAN CENTRAL TELEVISION]

The Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy made no mention of North Korea, an omission that surprised foreign policy experts. The NSS, published Friday Eastern Standard Time, outlines U.S. security priorities and strategic direction. Since its inception, it has consistently identified North Korea’s nuclear program as a core challenge. Its complete absence raises concern that the issue may be slipping down Washington’s agenda.

Every U.S. administration since the early 1990s has listed denuclearization as an explicit policy objective. Previous NSS of the Biden administration stated that the United States would pursue extended deterrence to support “visible progress toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” The Trump administration’s first NSS referenced North Korea 16 times and highlighted denuclearization as a central aim. The basic framework was widely understood to have continued into Trump’s second term. That context makes the disappearance of the word “North Korea” from the 29-page document highly unusual.

It is too early to conclude that Washington is changing its denuclearization policy. Some analysts suggest the omission may be intended to create diplomatic space and entice Kim Jong-un back into dialogue. Still, the government must not take the change lightly. Seoul needs to assess U.S. intentions carefully and maintain the principle of denuclearization within the framework of a strong Korea-U.S. alliance.

The concern does not end there. China’s military white paper released on Nov. 27 — the country’s first in 19 years — also removed references to “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Instead, Beijing emphasized “a political solution.” For decades, denuclearization has been a fixed element of China’s official language in documents and at multilateral forums. Given China’s insistence on consistent terminology across government publications, the omission cannot be dismissed as a clerical shift. While this does not mean Beijing now recognizes North Korea as a nuclear state, Seoul must press for clarity on why the wording changed.

The fact that both the United States and China omitted denuclearization from major security documents published weeks apart is troubling. It risks signaling movement toward an outcome Pyongyang has long desired. Presidential national security adviser Wi Sung-lac yesterday cited “a renaissance in the Korea-U.S. alliance,” “global pragmatic diplomacy” and “reduced military tensions on the peninsula” as the administration’s achievements. Dialogue and exchanges with the North are indeed necessary to stabilize the peninsula, but denuclearization cannot be relegated to the background.

The government must fully activate diplomatic channels to ensure the international community does not drift toward acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. This is no time for self-congratulation.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.