N Korea may pursue active diplomacy after ruling party congress in 2026

During the upcoming congress, the date of which has yet to be announced, Pyongyang is widely expected to declare the completion of the five-year national defense plan adopted during the previous party gathering in January 2021 and advocate the policy of simultaneously promoting the development of nuclear and conventional weapons. As for the goals of the possible U.S.-North Korea talks, Zhao of the Washington-based think tank said Trump may move toward "more limited objectives" rather than the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as Russia and China have effectively accepted Pyongyang's nuclear status. "Depending on the situation at that time, North Korea may make the most of the sporting event to improve ties with Japan, as it has a precedent of moving forward inter-Korean relations on the occasion of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics" in 2018, the professor said.