{
  "id": 13072601,
  "title": "N. Korea gains confidence as nuclear power 20 years after 1st test",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/n-korea-gains-confidence-as-nuclear-power-20-years-after-1st-test",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T08:30:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261009/p2g/00m/0in/022000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Twenty years after North Korea's first nuclear test, the country has grown more confident as a nuclear power, despite international demands for denuclearization. In recent years, Pyongyang has strengthened military ties with Russia, signing a strategic partnership treaty in 2024 that pledges mutual support during emergencies. The relationship with China, North Korea's largest trading partner, has also improved through high-level visits led by Chinese President Xi Jinping in June 2024. The Chinese leader's visit to Pyongyang in July 2024 was seen as a win for North Korea, with no public mention of its nuclear program. This heightened stability and support from Russia and China has made negotiating its denuclearization more challenging. North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017 and is believed to possess around 60 nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material to produce at least 30 more. The country formally declared its nuclear status in 2012. Previous peace negotiations between 2003 and 2008 broke down over verification methods. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has shown interest in resuming talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has publicly referred to North Korea as a nuclear power. North Korea has long demanded recognition as a nuclear-weapon state and the removal of U.S. hostility as prerequisites for restarting talks. Recent developments include Russia's veto of the U.N. Security Council panel monitoring North Korea's sanctions compliance, and China's abstention from the vote. Additionally, North Korea may have been training personnel to operate a small-scale nuclear-powered submarine reactor, as indicated by the International Atomic Energy Agency's detection of criticality indicators at the Yongbyon facility in 2023. Suspensions of reactor operations from 2023 to 2026 have raised concerns among nuclear experts that these could be preparation drills for submarine operations.",
  "summary": "BEIJING (Kyodo) -- North Korea has gained confidence as a nuclear power, having boosted its weapons stockpile and rejected denuclearization demands fr",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}