Trump Extends North Korea National Emergency by One Year

Renewed every year since 2008

Trump also signed annual extensions during his first term

President Donald Trump has extended by one year a U.S. national emergency related to North Korea.

The White House said on June 26 that Trump signed the order on June 22. In the document, Trump said the presence and risk of proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula, along with the North Korean government’s actions and policies, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy and the economy. He said the national emergency would remain in effect for another year.

The US declares national emergencies in specific areas when it determines there is a threat to national security or other interests. The national emergency related to North Korea was first declared in June 2008 under President George W. Bush and has been renewed annually since then. While the initial rationale centered on North Korea’s nuclear development, the scope was later expanded to include cyberattacks and human rights abuses. The March 2010 sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan is also included among the grounds for keeping the emergency in place.

Trump signed the annual extension each year during his first administration. He also extended the North Korea-related national emergency in June 2025 under the same procedure.

Lee Jung-woo, Hankyung.com reporter, krse9059@hankyung.com