A prominent U.S. expert said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's recent reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" appears to be a "realistic" view of North Korean threats following a look at how the security challenge has evolved.

Trump defense secretary nominee Pete Hesgeth ruffled feathers in S. Korea with his written statement to the Senate panel overseeing his confirmation

North Korea defended its right to maintain a nuclear weapons program at a United Nations disarmament conference held shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the North as a "nuclear power.

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Tuesday morning. The launch is the second of the year for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which last did a missile test on Jan. 6, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul, South Korea . Tuesday’s rocket launch was first reported by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Donald Trump’s convention-busting acknowledgement of North Korea as a nuclear power bucks years of US policy – and sets South Korea on edge.

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,

The foreign ministry said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" aligns with his previous approach on the recalcitrant regime, suggesting that it should not be seen as his administration recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state.