South Korea Estimates North Korea Has Up to 120 Nuclear Warheads

South Korea estimates that North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, a figure significantly higher than the 57 nuclear weapons recently cited by U.S. President Donald Trump.

South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers that North Korea is generally believed to have between 80 and 120 warheads. However, he stressed that the exact number is difficult to determine.

Ahn later clarified that the estimate came from private research organisations and that South Korea’s military has not officially confirmed the figure.

Trump said on Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possesses 57 “very powerful nuclear weapons.” Ahn acknowledged that the two estimates differ.

South Korea has traditionally avoided officially recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state and continues to support the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

Ahn said South Korea would continue relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella rather than developing its own nuclear weapons or accepting the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons.

The comments come as Trump seeks to revive diplomatic engagement with Kim Jong Un. Trump said he expects to meet the North Korean leader later this year, potentially reopening talks that stalled after U.S.-North Korea summits in 2018 and 2019 failed to resolve disagreements over sanctions and Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

North Korea has reacted cautiously to the renewed diplomatic efforts. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and a senior official, said that reduced U.S.-South Korean military exercises remained provocative despite being shortened.

The differing estimates highlight continued uncertainty over the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal as Washington and Pyongyang consider renewed diplomatic engagement.

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