Pyongyang claims Trump’s missile shield plan threatens global stability and triggers space war fears

North Korea has strongly condemned Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile-defence plan, warning that it could trigger a Trump-North Korea Space War and spark a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, threatening global stability.

In a fiery statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang condemned the proposed US defence system as a reckless scheme rooted in “uni-polar domination.” The memo, attributed to a research body under North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, accused Washington of plotting a new frontier for warfare—this time beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

“The so-called Golden Dome is not a shield but a spearhead of confrontation,” the memo stated. “It envisions an outer space nuclear war scenario and is the latest proof of the United States’ delusions of world military supremacy.”

Announced earlier this month by President Trump during his 2024 campaign comeback tour, the Golden Dome is pitched as a space-based missile shield designed to detect and intercept ballistic threats from adversarial nations—namely China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Trump declared it the “most advanced protective dome ever conceived,” echoing Ronald Reagan’s 1980s Strategic Defence Initiative, often dubbed “Star Wars.”

Critics, however, warn that the system could militarise outer space and unravel decades of fragile arms control agreements. Pyongyang’s latest outburst underscores those fears, portraying the initiative as an existential threat.

“It is an act of cosmic provocation,” KCNA continued. “The United States must abandon its dreams of supremacy and accept that other nations have the right to defend their sovereignty, including in space.”

The language reflects growing unease across the Asia-Pacific region as military competition in space accelerates. While North Korea remains one of the most diplomatically isolated regimes in the world, it has developed increasingly advanced missile and satellite technology in recent years. Just this month, it claimed to have placed a new reconnaissance satellite into orbit—a claim yet to be independently verified.

Trump’s camp has remained tight-lipped in response to the North Korean backlash. However, advisers close to the president insist the Golden Dome is a purely defensive programme aimed at deterring rogue launches and safeguarding American cities from “hypersonic hell.”

“This is about peace through strength,” said one Trump aide, speaking anonymously. “President Trump is making sure Americans sleep safely under a dome of technological superiority.”

However, Pyongyang’s warning was not easily dismissed. Space policy analysts point out that the deployment of a weaponised satellite shield could trigger countermeasures from hostile states, many of which already possess anti-satellite capabilities.

“The Golden Dome could become the spark in a space arms race,” said Dr Lena Walters, a senior fellow at the Global Security Institute. “And once that race starts, it’s hard to control—because up there, no borders exist.”

International reactions to the Golden Dome remain mixed. Some NATO allies cautiously welcome renewed American investment in missile defence, while others warn it could breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang continues to test the patience of the international community with sporadic missile launches and threats of nuclear expansion. Its rhetorical assault on the Golden Dome, however, adds a dramatic new dimension to the already strained relationship with Washington.

As tensions between the two nuclear-armed states simmer once again, the world watches warily. Is Trump’s futuristic dome a path to global safety—or a dangerous illusion that might lead to war in the stars?