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By Park Byong-su, Senior Staff Writer

US president Barack Obama made no mention of North Korea’s nuclear program in his State of the Union address Tuesday, a fact that is being duly noted by observers.

The omission stands in contrast to the 2010 and 2011 addresses, where Obama called on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. In his 2011 address, Obama said the US “insists that North Korea keeps its commitment to abandon nuclear weapons.” In 2010, he likewise called for North Korea‘s denuclearization, saying the nuclear program was “why North Korea now faces increased isolation and stronger sanctions . . . that are being vigorously enforced.”

Observers are interpreting Obama’s unusual choice to not mention the North Korean nuclear issue as reflective of the sensitive process of regime change under way in Pyongyang. A foreign ministry official said, “It looks like he took into account that it’s been a sensitive time for North Korea internally since the death of Kim Jong-il late last year.”

“I think he determined that instead of pressuring North Korea, it would be better to dodge the issue and leave some room open for Pyongyang to pursue dialogue,” the official added, indicating that the decision may have reflected a wait-and-see approach until Pyongyang resolves internal issues such as stabilizing the post-Kim Jong-il system.

Just before Kim’s death in late 2011, Pyongyang and Washington effectively agreed on an exchange in which the US would provide food aid while North Korea halted its uranium enrichment efforts.

Other observers said the omission reflected just how far the North Korean nuclear issue has fallen on the Obama administration’s list of policy priorities. With a presidential election scheduled for November of this year, Obama may have felt compelled to focus more on domestic issues that resonate more with voters, including wealth distribution and economic recovery, as well as more immediate issues like the Iranian nuclear program. Prioritizing the North Korean nuclear issue is unlikely to produce any real results for the time being.

Some analysts said Obama’s reference to Iran’s nuclear program might have been an oblique warning to North Korea. In his address Tuesday, Obama said, “America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal.”

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