South Korean officials believe that North Korea has an arsenal of up to 60 nuclear bombs at its disposal.
The country’s unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon told parliament that Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal ranges from between 20 to 60 bombs.
It marks the first time a senior Seoul official has publicly spoken about the size of North Korea’s haul of weapons.
However, Mr Cho refused to label his northern counterpart a ‘nuclear state’ – insisting diplomatic disarmament efforts would continue.
He said the information came from South Korean intelligence agencies.
South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, 01-10-2018. Image: Kim Hyun-tae/AP/Press Association Images
South Korean government reports indicate that the North has produced 50kg (110lbs) of weaponised plutonium, enough for at least eight nuclear bombs.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang has warned the US that it cannot use the Korean peace process as a bargaining chip in its effort to push denuclearisation.
The official North Korean news agency said Kim Jong Un had taken significant steps towards ending the Korean conflict – but warned that Washington is attempting to “subdue” the north through sanctions.
File photo of a rusty metal sign indicating the border between North and South Korea in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), 01-11-2014. Image: Maurizio Gambarini/dpa
North and South Korean are technically still at war as no peace treaty has been signed since an armistice was agreed in 1953.
In April the leaders of North and South Korea met in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two countries and agreed to sign a peace treaty by the end of the year.
However Pyongyang has warned that a peace treaty is not “just a gift from a man to another” and cannot be used as a “bargaining chip” to get North Korea to denuclearise.
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo is expected to travel to North Korea soon in an attempt to revive negotiations to set the stage for a second summit between US President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim.
With reporting from IRN ...
