After The Abduction Of Venezuelan President There Is A Diminishing Possibility Of North Korea-US Dialogue.

Pyongyang; January 2026: On 04th January, The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the US military operation to arrest and extradite Maduro, calling it a “violent violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty” and evidence of the United States’ “gangster-like nature”.

Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) General Secretary Kim Jong Un oversaw a missile launch the same day and called for expanding a “strong and reliable nuclear deterrent”, citing “recent geopolitical crises”, likely referencing the January 03rd US operation in Venezuela.

On the otherside, The South Korean Ministry of Unification (MOU) assessed on January 05th that North Korea’s response reflects its ongoing “anti-US solidarity”, similar to messaging following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

North Korea and Venezuela have maintained a symbolic partnership, grounded in anti-US rhetoric, since establishing diplomatic ties in 1974. Kim has continued diplomatic exchanges with Venezuela, though there is no evidence of meaningful North Korean-Venezuelan trade or economic cooperation. The UN Panel of Experts (PoE) investigation into possible bilateral cooperation, following a 2018 meeting between Maduro and a senior WPK official, was not concluded prior to the panel’s dissolution due to opposition from Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Venezuela remains primarily a North Korean political ally within the socialist and anti-Western bloc, with limited strategic relevance in defense or industry.

North Korean state media has consistently framed US actions in Venezuela, often citing PRC and Russian condemnations, as proof of an external threat from “Western aggressors”. This narrative supports Pyongyang’s portrayal of its nuclear weapons as “self-defensive”. North Korea is likely to further strengthen this justification and assess that states without nuclear capability or great-power backing are vulnerable, making prospects for complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the peninsula more difficult.

North Korea launched at least 02 “supersonic” ballistic missiles on January 04th. The timing of the launch may signal Pyongyang’s intention to further accelerate military development in the face of recent events, including the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the PRC–South Korea Summit. Meanwhile, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office reported that 02 missiles, speculated as Hwasong 11-E, flew around 900 km (559 miles) towards the East Sea (Sea of Japan).

South Korean national defense scholars speculated that the launch was intended to verify the missiles’ low-altitude gliding flight capability and operational range. The launch was the first since November 07 and the third launch of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s term.

North Korea has conducted tests of various types of missiles every month since October 2025. WPK General Secretary Kim Jong Un also inspected tactical guided weapons and ordered an increase in their production on the day before the missile launch. Hwasong-11E, a low-altitude ballistic missile, has a maximum range of 1,500 kilometres, which would allow it to strike targets anywhere in the Korean Peninsula and the main islands of Japan. This type of missile also employs anomalous maneuverability similar to cruise missiles, which evade missile defense networks more effectively.

Kim Jong Un’s visit to a missile factory cannot be attributed as an act of coincidence, which was just after the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 03rd, and just before President Lee’s visit to Beijing on January 05th. Kim Jong Un have stated the need to enhance North Korea’s nuclear deterrence and development of missiles to respond to recent unspecified “geopolitical crises” and “complicated international events”.

The US capture of Maduro, essentially a “decapitation” operation against an anti-US regime, likely reinforced his belief that highly advanced asymmetric weapons and nuclear weapons are necessary to deter the United States and other advanced military powers. The launch also likely serves as an expression of North Korea discontent regarding the possibility of discussion of denuclearization during the summit between President Lee and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping. North Korea may justify this belief of the necessity of its self-defense through missile tests and other military developments. North Korean officials have stated repeatedly that Pyongyang will no longer negotiate with the United States until it drops its demand for denuclearisation.

Team Maverick.