[News Terms] US Defense Secretary Nominee's Statement "North Korea, a Nuclear State" and Its Meaning

U.S. Government Immediately Denies Official Recognition
Concerns Over Disruptions in North Korea Denuclearization Talks

On the 14th (local time), Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense nominee, is being questioned at the confirmation hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News

Pete Hegseth, the nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, sparked controversy by referring to North Korea as a "nuclear power" during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the 14th (local time). Although the U.S. government quickly clarified that this was not an official position in response to the South Korean government's protest, doubts are growing about the U.S.'s negotiating power on the North Korean nuclear issue going forward. Concerns have been raised that if the head of defense in the second Trump administration is someone who confuses even basic terminology, it could cause significant confusion in the complex military diplomacy of Northeast Asia.

According to CNN, on that day, Hegseth stated in his written responses submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee, "North Korea's status as a nuclear power, its focus on increasing the range of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and its enhanced cyber capabilities pose a threat to stability on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and the world."

Hegseth's reference to North Korea as a nuclear power differs significantly from the internationally recognized term "Nuclear weapon state." A nuclear weapon state refers to the five major powers that possessed nuclear weapons before January 1967 under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provisions and are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. Since the NPT was announced in 1968, no other country has been internationally recognized as a nuclear weapon state.

North Korea declared its withdrawal from the NPT in 1993 but reversed this decision, then finally withdrew in 2003. It has claimed nuclear weapon state status through its first nuclear test in 2006 and subsequent actions, but to date, no country in the international community recognizes North Korea as a nuclear weapon state. Referring to North Korea as a nuclear weapon state could imply legitimizing its nuclear development.

The U.S. government's denuclearization strategy toward North Korea, known as "Complete, Verifiable, and Irreversible Dismantlement (CVID)," aims for North Korea to completely halt its illegal nuclear weapons development and return to the NPT framework.

This is why the U.S. government immediately rebutted Hegseth's remarks, stating they were not an official position. John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, emphasized during a briefing, "Our policy on this matter has not changed," adding, "I cannot speak to how the next security team will define it, but we have not gone so far as to recognize it."

Although it is unlikely that there will be an immediate change in North Korea's nuclear status under the second Trump administration, the controversy is expected to continue until a clear position is announced after the Trump administration takes office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.