The reaction follows a Washington briefing in which Trump called Kim Jong Un a "friend" and stated that North Korea could have nuclear weapons while Iran cannot. These remarks come as Seoul estimates that North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads. Kim expanded the country's nuclear arsenal throughout the period in which he and Trump held three diplomatic summits.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Japan South Korea Interpret Trump's Kim Praise as Nuclear Shift
Geopolitics21 days ago
Allies of the U.S. in Asia are assessing a potential reversal of Washington's long-standing opposition to North Korea as a nuclear state. Officials in Japan and South Korea are interpreting recent comments from President Trump as a signal that Pyongyang may be permitted to keep its atomic weapons, a shift that has drawn particular attention in Tokyo and Seoul where internal debates about acquiring independent nuclear deterrents have already begun.
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