Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Pentagon chief, referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power” in a written statement for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing – shattering a longstanding taboo by granting such a designation to Kim Jong-un’s regime and drawing considerable attention in Seoul.

South Korea rebuked President Trump’s remarks calling North Korea a “nuclear power,” raising concern about the relationship between the two countries. “North Korea’s denuclearization remains a consistent principle upheld by the international community,

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday described North Korea as a "nuclear power" and said that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "got along very well." Trump made the remarks during a press availability as he returned to the Oval Office to sign official documents following his swearing-in ceremony