South Korea Estimates North Korea Has Up to 120 Nuclear Warheads

South Korea estimates that North Korea may possess between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Thursday, offering a significantly higher range than U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent figure of 57 weapons.

Speaking before a parliamentary committee, Ahn said North Korea is generally believed to hold around 80 to 120 nuclear warheads but stressed that determining the exact size of Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal remains difficult.

Ahn later clarified that the estimate came from private research organisations and is not an official assessment confirmed by the South Korean military.

His comments followed Trump’s statement at the White House on Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possesses 57 “very powerful nuclear weapons.” Asked about the discrepancy, Ahn acknowledged that the estimates appeared different.

South Korea has traditionally avoided publishing detailed figures on North Korea’s nuclear stockpile. Seoul also maintains its policy of supporting denuclearisation and does not officially recognise North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.

Ahn reaffirmed that position, saying South Korea could not formally acknowledge Pyongyang as a nuclear-armed state. He also declined to interpret whether Trump’s remarks represented a change in Washington’s position.

The defence minister said Seoul 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 in South Korea.

The debate over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal comes as Trump seeks renewed engagement with Kim. The U.S. president recently ordered a reduction in joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, describing the drills as hostile toward Pyongyang.

Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, dismissed the scaled-back exercises as still provocative and aggressive. She also said she was unaware of recent contacts between Trump and Kim, while describing their personal relationship as excellent.

Trump said he expects to meet Kim later this year, potentially restarting North Korea nuclear talks that stalled after summits in 2018 and 2019 failed to resolve disputes over sanctions relief and denuclearisation.