Ministry of Unification Says North Korea Has 50 to 60 Nuclear Weapons, Similar to Trump’s Figure of 57

[Financial News] The government said on the 20th that it had already received reports through international organizations indicating North Korea possesses about 50 to 60 nuclear warheads. This is close to the 57 nuclear weapons Trump said North Korea has.
A Ministry of Unification official told reporters that a Swedish international organization recently raised its estimate of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal to 50 to 60, adding that the figure is similar to the one cited by Trump. The ministry, however, did not specify North Korea’s nuclear warhead count as 57, as Trump did.
The Swedish international organization cited by the ministry, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), has published annual estimates of North Korea’s nuclear warhead count.
Earlier, Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young said in September last year that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal had grown to about 50 under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which took a hard line against Pyongyang.
Chung said, "North Korea’s nuclear arsenal increased 2.5 times from 20 in 2022, when the previous administration took office, to 50 in 2024." He added, "The number of missile test launches, including ballistic missiles, during the previous administration’s three years more than doubled compared with the five years of the administration before it."
He also said, "North Korea’s delivery technology for nuclear weapons is also becoming more advanced, and the development of the Hwasong-20, a multiwarhead solid-fuel ICBM, is now considered within sight."
Chung said, "The longer the suspension of dialogue with North Korea continues, the more its nuclear and missile capabilities will clearly strengthen." He added, "We must quickly pursue dialogue based on a sober assessment of the reality: North Korea’s improved strategic environment, the advancement of its nuclear and missile capabilities, and the clear easing and limits of sanctions against it." He also said, "We need to recognize that time is not on our side," and noted that "resuming dialogue sooner is better."

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