North Korea’s leader has grown more assertive since their last efforts at diplomacy ended in failure — and now has Russia at his side.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast on Thursday that he plans to seek to engage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un anew after the two men developed a working relationship in Trump's first term.

Trump's words raise expectations about the revival of direct diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang that has been dormant during the Biden Administration. North Korean state media took 48 hours to inform the North Korean people that Donald Trump had been inaugurated as President of the United States on Monday.

Robert Carlin and Hecker write a hypothetical Kim-to-Trump letter based on their understanding of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea’s second launch event of 2025 - following a ballistic launch last week - comes days ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration on a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr Day

US President Donald Trump said he plans to reach out to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un following his return to the White House. Trump was asked about his plans for Kim during an interview on Thursday and whether he would “reach out”.

Kim Jong Un, who Trump lauded as a "smart guy," has become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key ally in a war against Ukraine, providing ballistic missiles, artillery, and 12,000 troops.