SEOUL: North Korea's state media remained silent on Thursday regarding former U.S. President Donald Trump's victory in the recent presidential election, marking his return for a second nonconsecutive term. This silence has given rise to speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might opt to send a congratulatory message directly to Trump.According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump secured his victory by winning key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. This achievement makes him the second U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms. Despite this significant political development, major North Korean news outlets like the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Rodong Sinmun, and the Korean Central Television had not reported on Trump's triumph as of 9 a.m. Thursday.Historically, North Korea has tended to cover U.S. presidential election results indirectly and only some time after the election outcome is officially announced. For instance, during Barack Obama's presid ential victories, Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, published the results four days post-announcement. Similarly, when Trump first won the presidency in 2016, North Korea indirectly reported the result 11 days after Election Day through a commentary criticizing the congratulatory message from then South Korean President Park Geun-hye.In the case of Joe Biden's election win in 2020, North Korea remained silent for over two months, only indirectly acknowledging it through the propaganda outlet DPRK Today after his official inauguration. Experts believe that this time, North Korea might choose to send a personal letter or congratulatory message directly to Trump, as Kim Jong-un could be interested in maintaining personal ties with him. This speculation is fueled by the possibility of North Korea seeking nuclear disarmament talks with the United States.Trump and Kim had previously engaged in summit talks in Singapore in 2018 and Vietnam in 2019. The Hanoi summit, however, ended without a deal due to unresolved differences over North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief by Washington. Despite this, Trump and Kim continued to exchange undisclosed personal letters even after their second summit.An official from the unification ministry noted that North Korea's state media has never reported a U.S. presidential election result immediately after its announcement. "It is still difficult to say how North Korea might report on it or in what manner the country might attempt to contact the president-elect," the official stated.North Korea has a history of promptly sending congratulatory messages to nations with which it maintains close ties. For example, when Vladimir Putin was elected to his fifth term as Russian president in March, Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message on the same day.
- October 12, 2026
