Minister Ahn Gyu-baek of the Ministry of National Defense on the 20th said of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, "It is generally viewed as about 80 to 120, but it is quite limited to state an exact figure."
Minister Ahn answered this way to a question from Seong Il-jong, a People Power Party lawmaker, who asked for the government's assessment of the status of North Korea's nuclear development during a National Defense Committee session at the National Assembly that day. Explaining that the quantity of North Korea's nuclear weapons (57) mentioned the day before by U.S. President Donald Trump differs from the government's estimate, Minister Ahn brought up this figure.
To Seong's follow-up question, "Are you acknowledging that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons?" Minister Ahn responded, "Rather than acknowledging it, it is because we also must be fully prepared (that I made the remark)."
The figure of 80 to 120 that Minister Ahn revealed also differs from the quantity (50 to 60) the Ministry of Unification released by citing the estimate of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Sweden.
After Minister Ahn's remarks, the Ministry of National Defense offered an explanation, saying, "The number of North Korean nuclear weapons the Minister mentioned was a figure estimated by a domestic research institute." The Ministry of National Defense said, "It is the government's firm position that 'any possession of nuclear weapons by North Korea will not be tolerated,'" adding, "Details of North Korea's nuclear capabilities are restricted from disclosure as a classified ROK-U.S. alliance matter."