Trump says Kim has 57 nuclear warheads; Seoul claims North Korea may have up to 120: Why it matters
On Thursday, North Korea launched approximately ten short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, according to South Korea's military. This action heightened tensions amid U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to revive diplomatic relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The missile launches occurred a day after Pyongyang rejected Washington's decision to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, a move Trump hoped would set the stage for renewed talks with Kim.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed that the missiles were launched from North Korea's capital region around 5 PM local time and headed towards its eastern waters. In response to the launches, Seoul intensified its surveillance and coordinated closely with the United States and Japan. The country's presidential National Security Council convened an emergency meeting, urging North Korea to cease ballistic-missile launches, which are prohibited under UN Security Council resolutions. Japan also detected a suspected missile launch, as per its government.
While Trump cited a specific figure for North Korea's nuclear arsenal, Seoul's estimate is more than twice as high. According to sources, Trump claimed North Korea possesses "57 very powerful" nuclear weapons, whereas South Korea estimated the arsenal to range between 80 and 120 warheads. South Korea's upper estimate of 120 warheads is more than double Trump's figure.
The discrepancy in the estimates stems from the source of the numbers. Trump's figure, which he provided publicly without explaining its origin, may be based on unspecified sources. In contrast, South Korea's estimate originates from private research organizations, and the military cannot officially confirm an exact number. Officially, neither the United States nor South Korea publicly discloses an approved count of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, nor do they recognize Pyongyang as a nuclear-armed state. The exact stockpile remains uncertain.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
