The Price of Dialogue Goes Up: How Advanced is North Korea's Nuclear Program?

[Anchor]

As U.S. President Donald Trump recently signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, attention is focused on whether U.S.-North Korea talks will get back on track. However, North Korea's nuclear capabilities today are vastly different from what they were during Trump's first term, when the U.S.-North Korea summit was held.

Reporter Kim Ayeong examines what has changed and to what extent.

[Reporter]

On February 28, 2019, in Hanoi, Vietnam, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sat face-to-face with U.S. President Donald Trump and mentioned his willingness to denuclearize.

[Kim Jong-un / North Korean Leader (Feb. 28, 2019) : (Do you have the intention to denuclearize?) If I didn't have that intention, I wouldn't be here.]

[Donald Trump / U.S. President (Feb. 28, 2019) : Did you hear that? I think that's the best answer you could possibly give.]

However, the negotiations that day collapsed, and North Korea ultimately pivoted toward advancing its nuclear force.

Because North Korea has never officially disclosed figures such as its number of nuclear warheads, its exact capabilities remain veiled in secrecy. Nevertheless, President Trump stated on the 19th that North Korea possesses 57 warheads.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President : They have 57 powerful nuclear warheads. We shouldn't have let that happen.]

We looked into the trends based on analyses from overseas research institutes.

This is the yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Sweden, which has annually published estimates of nuclear warheads held by countries worldwide.

As of January 2018, North Korea's estimated nuclear warheads were placed between 10 and 20. This year, the institute released an analysis indicating that North Korea holds 60 warheads, along with fissile material capable of producing 30 additional ones.

This means its capabilities have grown more than threefold over the past seven to eight years.

What about its missile capabilities?

Right after launching the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and declaring the completion of its nuclear force, North Korea successfully test-fired the Hwasong-17, dubbed a "monster ICBM," as well as the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 and Hwasong-19 following the breakdown of U.S.-North Korea negotiations.

It also claims to have developed short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and the Hwasan-31, a tactical nuclear warhead mountable on torpedoes.

[Shin Jong-woo / Secretary-General, Korea Defense and Security Forum : With solid-fuel ICBM testing sites, expanded uranium enrichment facilities, and various ballistic missiles with improved accuracy, the situation is incomparable to the Hanoi summit.]

In September 2023, North Korea enshrined the advancement of its nuclear force into its constitution through a constitutional amendment. Since then, it has cut off its own retreat toward denuclearization, arguing that demanding denuclearization is tantamount to violating its constitution.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.