How does North Korea view the Trump administration’s escalation of strain on Venezuela’s Maduro regime? It is a related query, given the parallel between the 2 nations’ anti-US—or what Pyongyang likes to name “anti-imperialist, impartial”—positions. Furthermore, North Korea nonetheless invokes US “interference” in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan as examples of what may occur if a rustic doesn’t have the ability to defend itself.[1]
North Korea has not issued an official assertion but, however it’s carefully monitoring the state of affairs by commonly publishing information stories. Previous examples, although in a roundabout way comparable, recommend North Korea will launch an official place by the Overseas Ministry inside days if Washington launches army motion in opposition to Venezuela.
Why Does North Korea Care?
North Korea and Venezuela cast diplomatic ties in 1974. The connection strengthened throughout Kim Jong Un’s reign, exemplified by the opening of the North Korean and Venezuelan Embassies in Caracas in 2015 and Pyongyang in 2019. North Korea’s titular head Kim Yong Nam’s assembly with President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas in 2018 was one other milestone in bilateral relations.[2]
The connection apart, the continuing US-Venezuela tensions are of curiosity to Pyongyang as a result of they’re indicative of the way it, too, might grow to be a goal of america. As famous above, North Korea ceaselessly cites previous examples of US interventions which have led to regime change. It’s on this identical vein that North Korean media carefully adopted US overtures towards Greenland, the Panama Canal, and the Gaza Strip earlier this 12 months.
Venezuela’s tensions with america have been a prevalent theme in North Korean media for years. Nevertheless, from early August 2025, when US-Venezuela tensions rose considerably, to November 20, stories mentioning “Venezuela” or the “Caribbean” within the nation’s high two newspapers—the Occasion each day Rodong Sinmun and the cupboard each day Minju Joson—numbered 124, reaching their highest quantity in 5 years. This represented double the variety of mentions throughout the identical interval in 2023 and 2024, and 4 to 6 occasions the quantity throughout the identical interval in 2021 and 2022.[3] The numerous rise in quantity displays the regime’s heightened curiosity within the US-Venezuela state of affairs. These stories are predominantly straight information protection introducing Venezuela’s reactions to US actions, together with criticism from Venezuelan, Russian, and Chinese language officers towards america.[4] Whereas these are factual information stories with out specific commentary, Pyongyang’s constant presentation of those nations’ positions suggests North Korean alignment with their views.
One Minju Joson article printed in early November—essentially the most direct North Korean criticism of US actions towards Venezuela noticed—greatest displays its view of the continuing state of affairs. After criticizing america for “escalating regional tensions daily” by rising its army presence within the Caribbean, the article says:
On this state of affairs, voices are strongly resonating from nations within the area that whereas it’s Venezuela that’s going through difficulties immediately as a result of United States, tomorrow, different nations within the area may grow to be targets, and that it is rather necessary for Latin American nations to strengthen unity in response to US hegemonic actions.
The worldwide group is carefully watching with deep concern the state of affairs within the Caribbean area, the place tensions are escalating daily.[5]
Doable Subsequent Step
Articles and straight information stories are usually thought of the bottom tier in a hierarchy of North Korean communication autos. North Korea sometimes makes use of these much less authoritative autos to sign curiosity in a difficulty whereas sustaining distance from it. In contrast, a Overseas Ministry pronouncement, way more authoritative than information stories or articles, displays stronger regime dedication to the message.[6]
If america carries out army motion in opposition to Venezuela, North Korea will possible difficulty a Overseas Ministry assertion inside days. Whereas previous US-led operations in opposition to Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan occurred below completely different circumstances and should not straight corresponding to the present state of affairs, they might be helpful to recall, as North Korea continues to quote them as detrimental examples of US-led regime change, and its response sample has been constant. The North Korean Overseas Ministry issued a spokesperson’s “reply [taedap; 대답]” to KCNA someday after the 2001 retaliation in opposition to Afghanistan, two days after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and three days after the 2011 intervention in Libya.
