In his first State of the Union address, U.S. President Joe Biden did not mention North Korea, reinforcing observations that the country is a low priority for Washington and that the war in Ukraine may create space for Pyongyang to continue and expand the scope of its missile testing.

The foreign policy portion of the speech was mostly dedicated to Ukraine. It’s the first time the annual address to the U.S. Congress did not include a reference to North Korea or Korean War veterans since 2016.