North Korea Party Congress: Ambitions to Expand Nuclear Arsenal are Unacceptable

Editorial

16:09 JST, March 1, 2026

With backing from China and support from Russia, North Korea aims to bolster its nuclear capabilities and bring about the resumption of dialogue with the United States.

This strategy, which seeks to leverage the calculations of major powers for the regime’s survival, has become increasingly clear.

North Korea held its first Workers’ Party of Korea congress in five years, reappointing Kim Jong Un as the party’s general secretary, the post of the country’s supreme leader. The reasons cited included enhancing war deterrence centered on nuclear capabilities and achieving economic growth.

At the party congress, Kim sought to deter the United States by stating that the possession of nuclear weapons is the only means to put an end to ambitions for an imperialist invasion.

On the other hand, Kim also indicated a positive stance toward resuming dialogue with the United States. He said that if the United States were to recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state and withdraw its hostile policy, there would be no reason why the two countries would not be able to build a good relationship.

Kim held three meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term. Kim is likely seeking to arrange a fourth meeting to ease sanctions and maintain the current regime.

Over the past five years, North Korea has advanced the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, believed to be capable of reaching the entire U.S. mainland, as well as hypersonic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Its economy has also emerged from the worst conditions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These changes are largely influenced by Russia’s rapprochement with North Korea during its aggression against Ukraine. Russia is allegedly providing economic and military support to North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang’s troop deployment and participation in the aggression.

China has long supported the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but against the backdrop of U.S.-China tensions and Russia’s growing ties with North Korea, it has expanded trade with Pyongyang and is moving to repair relations.

However, United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea’s nuclear and missile development. Despite having voted in favor of these resolutions as permanent members of the Security Council, Russia and China have flouted their responsibilities by aiding North Korea.

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to express interest in meeting with Kim even after starting his second term, and he has at times referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power.”

If Trump accepts North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, the security environment in Northeast Asia would undergo a dramatic transformation. The threat posed to Japan and other neighboring countries would be immeasurable.

Japan, together with South Korea, must persistently urge Trump not to offer North Korea any concessions without conditions.

At the latest party congress, Kim Jong Un’s sister Yo Jong was promoted to ministerial-level department director. Kim Jong Un watched a military parade with his daughter, believed to be named Ju Ae. Moves that appear to solidify the Kim family’s rule seem bizarre.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 1, 2026)