[News Today] NK SILENT ON TRUMP'S ELECTION

[LEAD]
North Korea has been silent and not yet commented on the U.S. election results. The regime seems set to watch and wait, with no immediate expectations for improved relations with the U.S.

[REPORT]
North Korean media is still silent on the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.

The regime always reported the outcomes of U.S. presidential elections late, some even coming two months after the results are out.

However, pundits say this time it could be different.

Kim Jong-un could send a congratulatory letter or telegram to show off his bond with Trump.

But Pyongyang will likely take its time before trying to mend relations with Washington.

Donald Trump / Republican presidential candidate (July 2024, acceptance speech)

At the time, the North drew a line by saying Trump tried to reflect close ties between the two leaders in bilateral relations, but no positive change was actually made.

It also mentioned scrapped agreements between Pyongyang and Washington to express caution that no matter which administration runs state affairs in the U.S., its tumultuous political climate is unlikely to change.

The situations in both countries have also changed since Trump's first term.

Pyongyang's nuclear and missile technologies have become more sophisticated, and Kim Jong-un declared recently that the North's nuclear power status is now irreversible.

During Donald Trump's first term, Washington's priority was to denuclearize North Korea, but now it has more pressing tasks, such as armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Cheong Seong-chang / Sejong Institute
If the Trump administration sends a hopeful signal to N. Korea, its stance could change. But it‘ll likely just sit, watch for the time being.

The close ties between North Korea and Russia in the form of troop dispatch to Ukraine is also a new variable in bilateral ties between Pyongyang and Washington.