Seoul: South Korea estimates that North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, a figure significantly higher than the 57 weapons recently cited by US President Donald Trump.
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told a parliamentary committee on Thursday that the estimate was based on assessments by private research organisations. He stressed that South Korea’s military could not officially confirm the exact size of North Korea’s nuclear stockpile.
South Korea disputes Trump’s figure
Ahn said the commonly cited estimate was between 80 and 120 warheads but cautioned that determining the precise number was difficult.
Asked about Trump’s recent statement that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possessed 57 “very powerful nuclear weapons”, Ahn said the figures appeared to be different.
South Korea has traditionally avoided publicly acknowledging North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, maintaining its policy of supporting denuclearisation.
Seoul rules out nuclear weapons
Ahn reiterated that South Korea would not develop its own nuclear weapons or accept the deployment of US tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
Instead, Seoul would continue relying on the US nuclear umbrella as part of its longstanding security arrangement with Washington.
The debate comes as Trump seeks to revive engagement with Kim after scaling back joint US-South Korean military exercises, which he has described as hostile towards North Korea.
Trump expects to meet Kim
Trump said on Wednesday that he expected to meet Kim later this year, raising the possibility of renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Pyongyang.
North Korea has responded cautiously. Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, criticised the reduced military exercises as still provocative and aggressive.
The latest exchange comes as both sides remain divided over North Korea’s nuclear programme, sanctions and security concerns on the Korean Peninsula.