Ahn Gyu-back: "North Korea Estimated to Have 80 to 120 Nuclear Weapons, Exact Figures Restricted"

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back stated regarding North Korea's nuclear weapon stockpiles, "We generally estimate them to be around 80 to 120, but mentioning an exact figure is quite restricted."

Attending the National Assembly's National Defense Committee today, Minister Ahn made the remark in response to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Seong Il-jong asking, "What is the government's own assessment of how many nuclear weapons North Korea has developed?"

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump mentioning North Korea's nuclear weapons as "57" at the White House on the 19th (local time), Minister Ahn said, "The numbers seem to differ slightly."

President Trump met with reporters at the White House and mentioned that he is "getting along well" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, adding, "He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons."

It is highly unusual for a U.S. president to specifically mention figures related to North Korea's nuclear weapons, given that South Korea and the U.S. manage information regarding North Korea's nuclear development status as classified.

In accordance with the stance of not recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, the South Korean government has refrained from explicitly mentioning North Korea's nuclear weapon holdings.

However, when asked whether he acknowledges that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons, Minister Ahn firmly stated, "That cannot be officially recognized."

To the question of whether President Trump's specific mention of 57 nuclear weapons effectively acknowledges North Korea's nuclear possession, he replied, "It is not appropriate for South Korea's Minister of Defense to comment on that."

He emphasized, "We cannot develop nuclear weapons, and we must not accept the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons either. We are consistently pursuing a policy of receiving a solid nuclear umbrella from the United States."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.