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.

North Korea’s state media reported on Donald Trump’s inauguration in its first direct acknowledgement of his return to the White House and adopted a neutral tone without referencing the president’s characterization of Pyongyang as a “nuclear power.

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.