South Korea's Defense Ministry estimates North Korea has 80 to 120 nuclear warheads

(Central News Agency, Seoul, comprehensive foreign news report on the 20th) South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back pointed out today that South Korea estimates that North Korea possesses 80 to 120 nuclear warheads. This number is significantly higher than the 57 nuclear weapons that U.S. President Trump recently claimed that North Korea possesses.

Reuters reported that Anguiber told members of Congress that North Korea is generally believed to have about 80 to 120 nuclear warheads, but he also emphasized that it is difficult to determine the exact number.

Asked about Trump's statement the day before that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had 57 "very powerful nuclear weapons," Anguib said: "The numbers seem a little different."

Trump made the remarks earlier at the White House when he discussed Kim Jong Un and plans to meet with him later this year.

South Korea has long avoided publicly disclosing detailed estimates of North Korea's nuclear arsenal and does not officially recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state based on its long-standing policy of supporting North Korea's denuclearization.

When asked whether the South Korean government recognized that North Korea had become a nuclear-armed state, Anguib reiterated this position. "We cannot officially admit this," he said.

As for whether Trump's mention of 57 nuclear warheads means that the United States has recognized North Korea's status as a nuclear-weapon state, Anguibo also refused to comment, saying that it was not appropriate for South Korea's defense minister to comment on the US president's remarks.

Anguub's remarks came as Trump attempted to reengage with Kim Jong Un after ordering a scale-down of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Trump has previously described the military exercises as "hostile" to North Korea.

North Korea responded coolly to the adjustment. Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, denied that Pyongyang would view the reduction of military exercises as a substantive act of goodwill and said she was unaware of any recent contact between Trump and Kim Jong-un. However, she described the personal relationship between the two leaders as "very good."

Trump is expected to meet with Kim Jong Un later this year, potentially restarting diplomatic negotiations that have stalled after a series of unprecedented summits in 2018 and 2019.