Pro‑Pyongyang Newspaper Highlights North Korea Omission in U.S. National Security Strategy
Updated (2 articles)
Omission of North Korea Stands Out in NSS The National Security Strategy released in early December 2025 makes no reference to North Korea or its nuclear program [1][2]. The absence is identified by the pro‑Pyongyang newspaper Choson Sinbo as the document’s most notable feature. Seoul officials have expressed concern that the omission could signal a lower policy priority for the Korean Peninsula under the Trump administration.
Choson Sinbo Frames Omission as Policy Shift The editorial argues that excluding North Korea suggests the United States may be abandoning its denuclearization agenda [1][2]. It claims mentioning the regime would admit a “complete failure” of U.S. policy, implying an intentional avoidance. The paper positions this move as part of a broader turn toward “Fortress America” isolationism.
Critique Highlights U.S.-First Narrative and Trump Portrayal Choson Sinbo criticizes the NSS for offering scant international security analysis and for promoting a U.S.-first outlook [1][2]. It describes the strategy as self‑contradictory and fact‑distorting, especially in its exaggerated depiction of President Trump as a peacemaker. The newspaper’s analysis reflects the regime‑aligned perspective of its parent organization in Japan.
North Korean Media Remains Silent on NSS State‑run North Korean outlets have not issued any comment on the NSS or the omission highlighted by Choson Sinbo [2]. The lack of response is noted by the newspaper as significant, underscoring the limited direct engagement from Pyongyang on the U.S. document.
Sources
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1.
Yonhap: Pro-Pyongyang paper flags omission of North Korea in US security strategy: reports Choson Sinbo labeling the NSS’s lack of any North Korea mention as its most notable flaw and interpreting it as a possible policy downgrade under Trump .
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2.
Yonhap: Pro-Pyongyang paper notes North Korea omission from US security strategy: emphasizes the editorial’s first‑reaction framing, the paper’s critique of U.S.-first bias, and the absence of any North Korean state media response .
Timeline
Early Dec 2025 – The United States releases its National Security Strategy (NSS), a “security‑strategy roadmap” that notably does not mention North Korea or its nuclear program[2]. The omission sparks immediate concern in Seoul that the Trump administration may be deprioritizing the Korean Peninsula issue.
Dec 17, 2025 – The pro‑Pyongyang newspaper Choson Sinbo publishes its first editorial reaction to the NSS, calling the lack of any reference to North Korea “the most notable aspect of the document” and questioning whether the issue will be sidelined under Trump[2]. The paper notes that North Korea’s state media has not yet responded, underscoring the editorial’s role as a proxy for the regime’s viewpoint[2].
Dec 17, 2025 (later that day) – In a second editorial, Choson Sinbo reiterates the criticism, arguing the omission “means the U.S. would have to admit a complete failure in its policy to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula”[1]. The outlet accuses the NSS of portraying the United States as shifting from a “world‑police” role to “Fortress America,” labeling the strategy “self‑contradictory” and “factually distorting,” while also mocking the exaggerated depiction of President Trump as a peacemaker[1].