A Japan-based pro-Pyongyang newspaper highlighted the omission of North Korean issues from the Donald Trump administration's recent National Security Strategy as the 'most notable' aspect in a Thursday editorial. It interpreted this as an admission of complete failure in the US policy to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, amid questions in Seoul about whether the issue might be sidelined under Trump.
The Japan-based Choson Sinbo, in its Thursday editorial published on December 18, 2025, drew attention to the absence of any mention of North Korea or its nuclear issues in the National Security Strategy (NSS) released by the Donald Trump administration in early December. This year's NSS, serving as a new strategic roadmap for the United States, marks a significant departure from previous versions by completely omitting North Korea-related content.
'What is the most notable part is the fact that it does not mention' North Korea, the newspaper stated, adding that it must be 'because mentioning North Korea would mean the U.S. is admitting a complete failure in its policy to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.' Operated by a Japan-based Korean organization sympathetic to North Korea, Choson Sinbo is widely viewed as echoing the regime's official stance.
This editorial represents the newspaper's second response to the NSS. In an article last Friday, it claimed the document outlines a US vision of shifting from 'world police' to 'fortress America,' accusing the country of pursuing an isolationist policy. The outlet criticized the NSS for lacking international security analysis, being filled with a US-first approach, and being 'self-contradictory' and 'factually distorting.' It also dismissed the portrayal of Trump as a 'peacemaker' as a 'too exaggerated assessment.'
North Korea's state media has yet to issue any response to the NSS. In Seoul, the omission has sparked questions about whether the North Korean issue could be deprioritized under the Trump administration, with implications for the US-South Korea alliance and regional security under close watch.
