John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said of Hegseth's remarks on North Korea's status as a nuclear power: "We've not made such a recognition. I can't speak to what the incoming team will—how they'll characterize it. We've not gone so far as to make that recognition."

South Korea said denuclearization was still the goal after President Donald Trump used a phrase that could imply recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.