South Korea estimates North Korea has up to 120 nuclear warheads, far above Trump's figure
Ahn said the figure came from private research estimates as Seoul said it could not officially confirm North Korea’s stockpile.
- On Thursday, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers that South Korea estimates North Korea possesses 80 to 120 nuclear warheads, a figure significantly higher than President Donald Trump's recent assertion that Pyongyang holds 57 weapons.
- President Trump said on Wednesday he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, seeking to revive diplomacy that stalled after unprecedented summits in 2018 and 2019 collapsed over sanctions relief disagreements.
- Trump seeks to revive engagement after ordering a scale-back of joint US-South Korean military drills, which he described as "hostile." Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's sister, dismissed the reduction as a meaningful gesture, calling exercises "provocative."
- Ahn declined to comment on whether Trump's 57-warhead reference constitutes US recognition of North Korea's nuclear status, stating it would not be appropriate for Seoul's defence minister to comment on the US president's remarks. He said, "We cannot officially acknowledge that."
- South Korea maintains a longstanding non-nuclear policy and relies on the US nuclear umbrella, with the Defence Minister clarifying the military will not develop its own weapons or accept deployment of US tactical nuclear arms on the peninsula.
39 Articles
39 Articles
North Korea has 80 to 120 nuclear warheads, South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said, after US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that North Korea had 57 "very powerful nuclear weapons," the French news agency AFP reported.
South Korea's Defense Minister revealed to parliament that he estimates North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, a figure higher than that stated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
South Korea's defense minister said Thursday that Seoul estimates North Korea has about 80 to 120 nuclear weapons, despite the US president's claim that Pyongyang has 57.
How big is North Korea's nuclear arsenal? Seoul's defense minister now opposes a rather moderate estimate by US President Trump, who apparently wants to meet dictator Kim this year.
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