Iran conflict highlights opportunity for North Korea to resume nuclear talks with Trump

Record ID: 2361638

  • Title: Iran conflict highlights opportunity for North Korea to resume nuclear talks with Trump
  • Date: 2nd March 2026
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 2, 2026) (REUTERS) INTERVIEW WITH CHAIR PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF NORTH KOREAN STUDIES, YANG MOO-JIN, IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CHAIR PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF NORTH KOREAN STUDIES, YANG MOO-JIN, SAYING:  “I believe the psychological pressure on Chairman Kim Jong Un could be considerable. On the surface, he would act with the pride of a s
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Iran Kim Jong Un North Korea Trump USA crisis nuclear talks
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: North Korea
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Conflicts/War/Peace,International/National Security
  • Reuters ID: LVA004987002032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran will reinforce the nuclear ambitions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, experts say, as attention focuses on whether he might return to negotiations with President Donald Trump.
    The strikes, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have intensified debate in Seoul over how Pyongyang will recalibrate its strategy amid heightened global tensions.
    “I believe the psychological pressure on Chairman Kim Jong Un could be considerable,” said Yang Moo-jin, chair professor at the University of North Korean Studies. “On the surface, he will act with the pride of a self-declared nuclear weapons state. However, in practical terms, I expect a significant strengthening of security measures - both in summit diplomacy and during his on-site guidance activities.”
    There could still be a window of opportunity for talks if Kim seeks "to leverage his personal rapport with President Trump to explore Washington's position on North Korea, while at the same time buying time to further advance the country’s nuclear capabilities," Yang added.
    At the same time, he noted, North Korea faces a strategic dilemma - whether to accept Washington’s offer of unconditional talks or insist on recognition as a nuclear weapons state before engaging. “This binary confrontation could place Pyongyang in a difficult strategic position,” Yang said.
    Unlike Iran, North Korea has codified its nuclear doctrine into law and the constitution and possesses advanced weapons technology, Yang added. “In that sense, it has a nuclear button.”
    The North Korean leader is also likely to believe his ties with China and Russia offer protection, analysts said. In September, Kim made a rare trip by armoured train to Beijing, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a major military parade.
    “North Korea effectively secured, through that single televised image, the symbolic status of being a nuclear-armed authoritarian state standing shoulder to shoulder with Russia and China,” said Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
    Fundamentally, he added, Pyongyang’s objective is recognition. “North Korea wants only one thing from the United States: recognition as a nuclear state. Even if negotiations take place, they should be framed as arms control talks among nuclear powers. For them, denuclearisation is nonsense. Within that broader framework, South Korea has effectively been sidelined.”
    (Production: Hwawon Lee, Sebin Choi, Heejung Jung)
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