Experts on Monday dismissed the possibility of President Donald Trump launching a leadership decapitation operation against North Korea, similar to his efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Park Won-gon, director of the North Korea Research Center at the East Asia Institute (EAI) and professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, made these remarks during the EAI-hosted 2026 New Year’s Dialogue on Korea’s Foreign Policy and North Korea Strategy at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.
Professor Park analyzed that North Korean leadership, including Workers’ Party General Secretary Kim Jong Un, would be on edge after witnessing Trump’s real actions in ousting Maduro.
He added that there’s a high likelihood that Trump will use some form of force to pressure North Korea, referencing Trump’s 2017 fire and fury rhetoric during his first term.
Park suggested that for Kim, continually rejecting Trump’s offers for dialogue could become a significant challenge, potentially increasing the chances for U.S.-North Korea negotiations.
However, he also noted that the Venezuela situation might cause Kim to cling more tightly to nuclear weapons.
Analysts believe North Korea will strengthen its justification for nuclear possession to avoid the fate of anti-U.S. leaders like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, who fell without nuclear arsenals.
Professor Park speculated that North Korea might raise the bar for nuclear negotiations with the U.S.
Regarding U.S.-North Korea talks, he stated, “North Korea has no intention of pursuing denuclearization negotiations and will instead seek nuclear arms reduction talks, suggesting that preconditions such as halting U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises and stopping the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula might be necessary.
Park also predicted that a Trump-Kim summit would likely occur either after Trump’s China visit in April or following the U.S. midterm elections in November.
