Trump Is Dealing With a Different North Korea

The Libertarian Institute · Nov 3, 2026

With all of President Donald Trump’s wars—Iran, Yemen, Ukraine, Nigeria, Somalia, Venezuela, and cartels—it’s easy to lose track of what is happening on the Korean Peninsula. However, since Trump returned to the White House, a series of developments on the Korean Peninsula have increased the risk that a relatively minor border incident could escalate into a much larger conflict.

The first, and potentially most important, was a policy shift by Pyongyang that began before Trump returned to the White House. North Korea abandoned its longstanding goal of reunification with South Korea…