U.S. President Donald Trump has recently been sending mixed signals to North Korea. On one hand, he is evoking nostalgia for a "successful negotiator" by sharing past photos with Chairman Kim Jong Un, while on the other, he is shaking the existing denuclearization principles by labeling North Korea a "nuclear power." It's akin to a startled turtle recoiling at the sight of a pot lid.

President Trump's actions starkly contrast with the consistent dialogue signals sent by the current Lee Jae-myung administration. The present government is unceasingly knocking on North Korea's door for dialogue, presenting three principles: the cessation of loudspeaker broadcasts, the prohibition of civilian leaflet distribution, and the exclusion of "unification by absorption."

Even in a joint statement with the EU, which included condemning North Korea-Russia military cooperation, not recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state, and urging improvements in North Korean human rights as core agenda items, it appears that North Korean-related content was deleted from the domestic announcement to avoid provoking Pyongyang.

However, the reason North Korea consistently remains silent is clear: "strategic circumvention." Pyongyang calculates that leveraging the variable of Trump to gain recognition as a "nuclear state" is far more advantageous for regime survival and negotiation power than direct dialogue with the South Korean government. In other words, the dialogue proposals from the Lee Jae-myung administration are relegated to a lower priority in North Korea's calculations, secondary to a "big deal with Trump."

Amidst the imbalance of Trump's signals and dialogue, with information being obscured, we must not lose our way. Security begins with "eyes that see the unseen." Reading the enemy's intentions and anticipating the direction of their hidden barbs is the essence of intelligence. Yet, in today's 2026, the Korean Peninsula's security environment is itself an "information fog" that prevents us from seeing an uncertain battlefield.

North Korea, a closed regime, has become an even more impenetrable black box with the collapse of our human intelligence capabilities. Even our ally, the United States, limits the sharing of North Korean intelligence "selectively" based on its own political calculations, or sometimes pushes the situation into a realm beyond our control, regardless of our will.

At this juncture, we must ask a poignant question: "Are we truly advocating for peace and holding the steering wheel of our own security?"

1. The collapse of North Korea's internal intelligence network has exposed the most vulnerable link in our defense.

Human intelligence (HUMINT) is the ultimate human intelligence asset for understanding the enemy's innermost intentions. However, even when HUMINT is blocked, we must not fall into the trap of "seeing only what we want to see." While we once knew even the breakfast menus of North Korean high-ranking officials by lunchtime, if their movements are now cut off, we must shift our focus to technical intelligence, the realm of cold data.

In modern information warfare, the answers lie within the flow of data rather than physical contact. Satellites, high-altitude drones, and AI-based signal intelligence are powerful tools that can read the subtle noises emanating from North Korea's vast system.

True intelligence capability stems from the insight into "how to interpret" that data. It is only when the "analysis of North Korean intelligence" by experts who understand the historical context of the Korean Peninsula and the psychological mechanisms of the enemy, combined with vast data analyzed by artificial intelligence, that intelligence becomes strategic wisdom, not mere numbers.

2. The Trump administration's unconventional approach to North Korea presents a significant test for us.

When the United States, by recognizing North Korea as a "nuclear power," orchestrates a premature peace event, will we remain mere bystanders to that scenario, or will we position ourselves as remote observers and coordinators?

In the past, we made the mistake of over-relying on U.S. intelligence assets, to the point where we could not voice our concerns even when our core security interests were compromised. This is why intelligence sharing cannot merely be about "data transfer." Intelligence autonomy signifies high-level investment in securing intelligence assets. In a country that prosecutes the sending of Pyongyang drones as a foreign exchange offense for 7,000 instances of North Korean trash balloons, intelligence autonomy appears precarious.

This is precisely why our military must enhance its independent reconnaissance assets and transform the ROK-U.S. intelligence-sharing system from one of unilateral benefit to a "symmetrical analytical partnership."

3. The thicker the information fog, the clearer the principles of defense must be.

This involves constant preparedness for the "worst-case scenario." We must face the reality of nuclear weapons advancement hidden behind the dazzling performances of Trump and Kim Jong Un. This means "field-oriented integrated defense." If HUMINT is blocked, we must complete a multi-layered surveillance network that integrates tactical information generated in real-time across all domains, from the border areas to cyberspace, to immediately identify the enemy's intentions.

Finally, we must guard against "security fatigue" and "political indifference" within our society. Security is not the exclusive property of any particular regime, nor should it be reduced to a tool for any political faction. In an era of crisis where information is blocked, strong national consensus is the foundational strength of our defense.

Walking through fog is frightening. However, those who know their destination and take a step will not get lost. Neither North Korea's closed nature nor America's uncertainty are uncontrollable variables if we possess the ability to analyze and judge information ourselves.

What we need now are not more "secrets." We must dispel the information fog through technology, humanistic insight, and bipartisan unity for security. We must once again ask ourselves and answer: are we currently seeing the United States' intentions regarding North Korea and North Korea's reality, or are we only seeing the illusion they want us to see?

◆ Park Pil-kyu, Member

Editorial Board Member, Hankook Ilbo

40th graduating class, Korea Military Academy