North Korea, President Park Geun-hye’s national security council held an emergency meeting,

In Seoul, just 35 miles from the border with North Korea, President Park Geun-hye’s national security council held an emergency meeting, not unlike similar gatherings held in response to a North Korea provocation at the DMZ.

Markets tumbled across Asia as Park told her staff to “monitor developing relations with the [incoming] Trump administration,” while she launched a diplomatic charm offensive congratulating the former reality TV star for his “outstanding” achievements and election victory.

Just as surreal was the reaction in neighboring Japan, where ordinary Japanese are “worried” and said they are “frightened” about the prospects of a Trump presidency, while their Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a defiant show of brutal pragmatism, showered the president-elect with accolades during a 20-minute phone call.

Why all the frenzy?

Trump, who has spouted harsh rhetoric about Muslims, immigrants and jobs being shipped overseas, has also said Seoul and Tokyo aren’t paying enough for the presence of U.S. military bases in their countries.

Trump had also said North Korea should be more of China’s responsibility and did not rule out nuclear armament for U.S. allies, although Japan is a signatory of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and both countries rely on the U.S. extended nuclear deterrent.

After the election, though, Trump appeared to take a less reckless approach to bilateral relations, telling Park he will “not waver” in working on a stronger alliance with Seoul and agreeing with Abe that U.S.-Japan relations must stay robust in the face of threats.

Never one to play the wallflower, North Korea issued a message for the incoming U.S. president, mandating the new administration recognize the country as a nuclear weapons state.

There is no doubt North Korea is a challenge for a Trump administration, but if the past is any indication a Trump administration won’t go easy for Pyongyang, either.