Kim Jong Un Ties US Dialogue to Recognition of North Korea as a Nuclear Power

As North Korea wraps up the week-long Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, leader Kim Jong Un has laid out a clear ultimatum for future diplomacy with Washington. According to state media reports on Thursday, February 26, 2026, Kim stated that an “understanding” and improved relations with the United States are only possible if Washington formally abandons its “hostile policy” and recognizes North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state.
The Nuclear Precondition
During the political conference—which sets Pyongyang’s major policy goals for the next five years—Kim effectively took denuclearization completely off the table. He stressed that if the U.S. respects the Asian nation’s “current status as set out in the Constitution,” there is no reason the two sides cannot get along. This marks a definitive strategic shift: Pyongyang is no longer asking for diplomatic recognition, but demanding it as a non-negotiable baseline for any future talks with the Trump administration.
Accelerating the Arsenal
Far from scaling back, Kim used the Congress to double down on his military ambitions. He declared it the party’s “firm will” to further expand and strengthen the national nuclear power. His directives included:
* Arsenal Expansion: Mass-producing more nuclear warheads and expanding operational deployment means.
* Advanced Tech: Developing stronger intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), unmanned drones, and attack systems utilizing artificial intelligence.
Hostility Toward Seoul
While leaving the door cracked for conditional talks with Washington, Kim took a sharply aggressive tone toward South Korea. He labeled Seoul as Pyongyang’s “most hostile enemy” and warned that if South Korea engages in “obnoxious behavior” at the doorstep of a nuclear power, the North could initiate arbitrary military action, adding that South Korea’s “complete collapse cannot be ruled out.”
The Ninth Congress officially concluded on Wednesday with a massive military parade in the capital, visually reinforcing Kim’s promise to cement North Korea’s status as an irreversible, heavily armed nuclear power on the global stage.