U.S. President Donald Trump revealed the actual size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, claiming that it owns 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons.
President Trump spoke about his relationship with the North Korean leader and announced plans to meet with Kim Jong Un later this year. He claimed that North Korea should have never been able to build up such an arsenal, adding that he wouldn’t have let North Korea build such an arsenal if he were president when they built the program.
The 80-year-old Republican leader didn’t say how he got the number 57. There isn’t public confirmation from U.S. officials based upon a recent intelligence assessment. Most previous estimates have placed North Korea’s nuclear stockpile at a few dozen warheads; however, these numbers are based upon different methodologies.
Some reports suggest that a meeting could occur prior to or after President Trump travels to China for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November, but no time frame has been officially set.
This number is significant because the U.S. presidents usually do not release such a detailed and specific report of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal publicly.
Since 2006, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests. They continue to develop missiles that can deliver nuclear payloads.
Mr. Trump’s statement comes at a very difficult and sensitive time for the United States and South Korea. Just recently, the U.S. reduced their joint military training exercises with South Korea in order to possibly allow room for dialogue with Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un has still refused to acknowledge that the reduction in military exercises would indicate anything other than hostility toward North Korea.
2026-08-20 00:06:00
