Seoul estimates North Korea may possess between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, significantly higher than Donald Trump’s recent figure of 57.
WEB DESK: South Korea has disputed US President Donald Trump’s recent estimate of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, saying Pyongyang may possess between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads.
South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back provided the estimate during a briefing to a parliamentary committee, saying the figure is considerably higher than the number cited by Trump.
Seoul estimates up to 120 nuclear warheads
Ahn told lawmakers that the commonly cited estimates suggest North Korea could have approximately 80 to 120 nuclear warheads.
However, the minister cautioned that determining the exact size of North Korea’s nuclear stockpile is difficult.
He later clarified that the figures were derived from estimates by private research organisations and that the South Korean military could not officially verify the exact number.
The assessment therefore represents an estimate rather than a confirmed inventory of North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
Minister responds to Trump’s figure
Ahn was asked about Trump’s statement a day earlier that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possessed 57 “very powerful nuclear weapons.”
The South Korean defence minister responded that the figure appeared to differ from other available estimates.
Trump made the comments at the White House while discussing his relationship with Kim Jong Un and plans for a possible meeting with the North Korean leader later this year.
The US president has previously pursued direct engagement with Kim, including historic summits during his first administration.
North Korea’s nuclear arsenal remains difficult to verify
North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme remains highly secretive, making it difficult for governments and independent researchers to establish an exact number of operational warheads.
South Korea has traditionally avoided publicly disclosing detailed estimates of North Korea’s nuclear stockpile.
Seoul also does not formally recognise North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, maintaining its policy of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula.
Independent estimates of Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities vary depending on assessments of its production of fissile material, weapons testing and potential warhead assembly.
Trump seeks renewed engagement with Kim
The dispute over the estimated size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal comes as Trump has indicated an interest in meeting Kim Jong Un again.
Trump has spoken positively about his relationship with the North Korean leader and has suggested that another meeting could take place later this year.
Any renewed US-North Korea engagement would likely face the longstanding challenge of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme, which remains one of the most sensitive security issues in East Asia.
For now, the contrasting estimates highlight the uncertainty surrounding the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and the difficulty of independently verifying Pyongyang’s weapons capabilities.
