Seoul Puts North Korea's Nuclear Warhead Count at 80–120, Exceeding US Figure

South Korea's defence minister has told parliament that North Korea is believed to possess between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, a range significantly higher than the figure recently cited by US President Donald Trump.

Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back made the statement during a parliamentary committee hearing on Thursday. He noted that while this is the general assessment, pinning down an exact number is difficult. "We usually see it as around 80 to 120, but it is considerably limited to state an exact number," Ahn said.

Ahn later clarified that the estimate comes from private research organisations and does not represent an official confirmation by South Korea's military. His remarks came in response to Trump's assertion a day earlier that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possesses 57 "very powerful nuclear weapons." Ahn acknowledged the discrepancy, saying, "the numbers appear somewhat different."

South Korea has long avoided publicly disclosing detailed assessments of the North's arsenal and does not officially recognise Pyongyang as a nuclear-armed state, in line with its policy supporting denuclearisation. Ahn reiterated this stance, stating, "We cannot officially acknowledge that." He also declined to comment on whether Trump's reference to 57 warheads constitutes US recognition of North Korea's nuclear status, saying it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the US president's remarks.

Reaffirming Seoul's non-nuclear policy, Ahn said South Korea will continue to rely on the US nuclear umbrella. "We cannot develop nuclear weapons. Nor should we accept the deployment of US tactical nuclear weapons," he said.

The comments come as Trump seeks to revive diplomacy with Kim after scaling back joint US-South Korean military drills, which he described as "hostile" to the North. North Korea has responded coolly to the move. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, called the reduced exercises provocative and aggressive despite their shorter duration. She dismissed the idea that Pyongyang would view the move as a meaningful goodwill gesture and said she was unaware of recent contacts between the leaders, though she described their personal relationship as "excellent."

Trump said on Wednesday he expects to meet Kim later this year, potentially restarting diplomacy that stalled after summits in 2018 and 2019 collapsed over disagreements on sanctions relief and the North's weapons programme.