South Korea: North Korea Has 80–120 Nuclear Warheads
South Korea stated that North Korea possesses up to 120 nuclear warheads – double the number Trump claimed. Seoul estimates the number of nuclear warheads possessed by North Korea to be in the range of 80 to 120, said South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak on Thursday in parliament.
Consensus
- South Korea's Minister of Defense stated that North Korea has between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads.
- The South Korean estimate is based on assessments by private research organizations.
- South Korea's military cannot officially confirm the number of warheads.
- Donald Trump stated that North Korea has 57 nuclear warheads.
- The two estimates differ, with South Korea's being higher than Trump's.
- The South Korean defense minister acknowledged the difference in numbers between South Korea and the U.S.
- Trump announced plans to meet with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.
- Trump reduced the scale and funding of joint military exercises with South Korea.
Points of divergence
- South Korea traditionally avoids public assessments of North Korea's nuclear arsenal and does not officially recognize it as a nuclear-armed state. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Vladimir Putin has been helping North Korea with money and military technology in exchange for weapons and artillery for the war in Ukraine. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Trump said he would not have allowed North Korea to obtain nuclear weapons if he had been president at the time. — vesti
- Trump claimed he has a good personal relationship with Kim Jong Un. — vesti
- Trump announced the reduction of joint military exercises with South Korea on August 17. — kommerant
Coverage (4 sources)
- South Korean Ministry of Defense says North Korea has between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads. According to US data, there are 57. — Настоящее Время
- South Korea claims North Korea has up to 120 nuclear warheads – twice as many as Trump said — The Moscow Times
- South Korea and Trump diverge in assessments of the number of nuclear warheads possessed by North Korea — Коммерсантъ
- Trump: North Korea has 57 units of 'very powerful nuclear weapons' — Вести