US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on Tuesday. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on Tuesday. (EPA)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Pentagon chief, referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power” in a written statement for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing – shattering a longstanding taboo by granting such a designation to Kim Jong-un’s regime and drawing considerable attention in Seoul.

Seoul's Defense, Foreign and Unification ministries immediately dismissed Hegseth’s statement when asked for comment, each emphasizing in their respective statements that North Korea can never be recognized as a nuclear power.

“The DPRK’s status as a nuclear power, its intense focus on increasing the range of missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads and its growing cyber capabilities all pose a threat to stability on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region and globally,” Hegseth said in his written answer to advance policy questions by US Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Those threats are of particular concern given the DPRK’s proximity to close US allies that base US troops,” Hegseth added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Hegseth's use of the term "nuclear power" differs from the formal designation of "nuclear-weapon state" or NWS. NWS refers specifically to the five countries recognized under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or NPT as possessing nuclear weapons: the US, the UK, France, China and Russia.

However, "nuclear power" has often been used interchangeably to imply recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-weapon state -- a notion the international community firmly rejects.

Seoul's swift response

A Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to ministry policy, stated on Wednesday, “Denuclearization of North Korea remains a principle consistently upheld by (South) Korea, the United States and the international community. North Korea can never be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state under the NPT.”

“Given that North Korea is illegally advancing its nuclear weapons program in violation of the NPT and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, our government will continue to collaborate closely with the international community to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization,” the official added.

An unnamed Unification Ministry official stated, “The government will continue to work closely with the international community, including the incoming US administration, to push for North Korea’s complete denuclearization."

“The government and the international community maintain a firm and unified stance on the goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization and do not recognize North Korea as a nuclear-weapon state," they added.

A Defense Ministry official, speaking anonymously, stated, "North Korea's status as a nuclear-weapon state cannot be recognized," adding that "North Korea's denuclearization must continue to be pursued as an essential condition for lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as around the world."

Why Seoul cares

Hegseth's mention of North Korea as a "nuclear power"— once in his 75-page written response — has sparked significant attention, even as no one in Trump’s orbit has signaled any intention to deviate from the longstanding denuclearization policy.

The close scrutiny comes at a time when Seoul is bracing for the possibility of Trump pursuing a “small deal” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — potentially accepting its nuclear armament in exchange for concessions — rather than pushing for complete denuclearization.

The National Intelligence Service, South Korea's spy agency, briefed the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee on Monday, stating that Trump "could seek a small deal, such as a nuclear freeze or nuclear disarmament, if he concludes that achieving North Korea's complete denuclearization is unattainable within a short timeframe," according to Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party.

The NIS underscored the need for the South Korean government to "prevent any possibility of North Korea securing a nuclear deal unilaterally, excluding the Republic of Korea," using South Korea's official name.

Pyongyang has consistently pushed for recognition as a nuclear-weapon state while striving to legitimize its nuclear weapons program.

North Korea self-proclaimed itself as a nuclear weapons state by amending the preamble of its constitution during a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, its rubber-stamp legislature, in April 2012. The SPA in April 2013 adopted the decree "On further consolidating the position of the self-defensive nuclear weapons state," further officializing its nuclear ambitions.

In September 2022, Pyongyang promulgated a law on nuclear forces policy, adopting a more aggressive doctrine that included preemptive strikes and the first use of nuclear weapons, superseding the 2013 decree. In September 2023, this policy was further codified in the country’s constitution.

In response to the characterization of Hegseth -- who is known to have a close rapport with Trump from co-hosting Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" -- White House national security communications adviser John Kirby clarified during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington on Tuesday, “We have not made such a recognition.”

“I can’t speak to how the incoming team will characterize it. We have not gone so far as to recognition," Kirby said.

Reporter Hwang Joo-young contributed to this article. -- Ed.