Will Kim Jong Un Congratulate Trump on His Return? North Korea’s Response in Question

North Korea’s media response to U.S. presidential elections has historically been reserved and delayed, often revealing results days or even weeks after the fact. This time, speculation is stirring that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could privately congratulate Donald Trump, considering the rapport they built in recent years.

State-run media, including KCNA and the Rodong Sinmun, have yet to report on Trump’s election victory. North Korea typically does not promptly inform its citizens about U.S. election results. In the case of Barack Obama’s elections in 2008 and 2012, the North Korean media reported the outcomes without any commentary four days after the polls. These reports were relatively quick compared to the others.

Back in 2016, it took North Korean media until November 19—more than ten days after Election Day—to indirectly acknowledge Trump’s win. Rather than celebrating the result, Rodong Sinmun seized the moment to condemn then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye for her congratulatory message to Trump.

When Joe Biden won in 2020, North Korea held off for over two months, finally covering it on January 23 of the following year—well after Biden’s inauguration. Analysts suggest that the delay was influenced by Trump’s refusal to concede, which prolonged the official certification of results. Even then, North Korean media waited until mid-March to make any statements about the new Biden administration, at which point it dismissed any notion of diplomacy with the U.S., attributing it to Washington’s continued “hostile policy” toward North Korea.

This year, North Korea may hold back on covering the U.S. election results again. Given Kim’s publicized relationship with Trump, North Korean leaders might consider the implications of informing their citizens about his re-election. “They may share the news as part of international coverage, but it won’t be easy to downplay given the public’s memory of Trump,” says Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “We might even see a formal response if Trump mentions North Korea before his inauguration.”

There’s also a chance that Kim might send a congratulatory message to showcase his relationship with Trump. With speculation that North Korea might attempt “nuclear disarmament negotiations” with the Trump administration, maintaining personal ties could be beneficial.

Kim typically sends congratulatory messages immediately after election results are announced in countries with strong ties, such as China and Russia.

For instance, he sent a congratulatory message the same day Vladimir Putin secured his fifth term as President of Russia in March. He also sent a message when Xi Jinping’s third term as President of China was confirmed in March last year. Both events were reported soon after. Additionally, he congratulated the newly elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the President of Vietnam on the same day of their election in August.

Kim might send a personal letter instead of a somewhat formal congratulatory message. Kim and Trump frequently exchanged private letters in the past.