Kim sees Maduro arrest as existential threat

Jan 04, 2026, 08:11 pm

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to spectators during a New Year’s celebratory performance at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Jan. 1, 2026. / Korean Central Television via Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to become even more committed to nuclear weapons after witnessing the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. special forces operation, an expert said.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said on Jan. 4 that the U.S. operation against Venezuela could send Kim two powerful messages at once: an “existential threat” to his regime and a “justification for nuclear obsession.”

Kim has long viewed regime-change cases in other countries — such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Libya under Muammar Gaddafi — as direct lessons tied to his own survival and rule. The swift and humiliating capture of Maduro, a leader of an anti-U.S. state, is therefore expected to further entrench Kim’s belief that only strength can preserve his regime.

Im said the U.S. military action would deepen Pyongyang’s distrust of denuclearization negotiations. “Maduro’s capture decisively reinforces Kim Jong Un’s perception that giving up nuclear weapons is tantamount to suicide,” he said, adding that this would make denuclearization talks on the Korean Peninsula even more difficult and North Korea’s behavior increasingly unpredictable.

The professor also noted that the operation showcased overwhelming U.S. military technology and precision-strike capabilities, strengthening the view in Pyongyang that nuclear weapons are the only viable deterrent. As a result, Kim is expected to accelerate military measures, including reinforcing defenses against decapitation strikes, speeding up the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, securing second-strike capabilities, strengthening an anti-U.S. alignment with China and Russia, and tightening internal discipline through fear-based rule.

The United States carried out a large-scale operation on Jan. 3, deploying troops to a safe house in Venezuela to arrest Maduro and his wife, Silvia Flores, and transport them to the United States. North Korea and Venezuela have maintained friendly ties since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, frequently exchanging congratulatory messages at major national events and sharing solidarity on the anti-U.S. front — a factor analysts say likely amplifies the shock felt in Pyongyang.

North Korea has recently stepped up efforts to justify strengthening its military capabilities. In a Dec. 31 commentary published by the Rodong Sinmun, the North cited conflicts such as the war in Gaza, arguing that “the tragedy in the Middle East once again proves that the only way to defend national interests and dignity, and to protect the fate of the people, is to multiply one’s own strength a thousandfold.”

Analysts also view North Korea’s launch of multiple ballistic missiles into the East Sea earlier the same day as a message aimed at the United States.

#Kim Jong-un #Nicolas Maduro #Venezuela arrest #North Korea nuclear weapons #denuclearization talks