(NewsInsights.org) – New figures from a prominent international think tank suggest North Korea’s nuclear threat has grown significantly in the last year. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the reclusive nation now has at least 20 more warheads than it had in 2023.
The findings come from SIPRI’s annual Yearbook report, which analyzes global trends in international security and assesses the military strength of various countries. In 2023, the organization determined that North Korea had at least 30 nuclear warheads at its disposal. SIPRI claims that the total is now closer to 50 — a staggering increase in just 12 months.
Further insights from the Yearbook estimate that Pyongyang currently has access to enough fissile material to create up to 40 more warheads. According to SIPRI, North Korea is actively producing both plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU), both of which are critical to the development of nuclear weapons.
North Korea often boasts about its own military capabilities and engages in shows of force, but the country’s leaders — including Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un — rarely share any specific details about the type of weapons being developed or their future nuclear goals. As such, officials from Pyongyang have yet to confirm or deny the data in SIPRI’s report.
SIPRI’s latest report comes at a time when tensions between North and South Korea are extremely high. Pyongyang launched balloons filled with trash and human waste at its closest neighbor in yet another show of force in early June.
South Korea’s Cabinet Council and President Yoon Suk-yeol rapidly responded to the ongoing provocation. On June 4, they officially rescinded the inter-Korean agreement, a 2018 deal aimed at reducing military tensions along the border.
Deputy Defense Minister Cho Chang-rae also warned that South Korea would use any and all options to defend its citizens from aggressive actions. “If North Korea launches additional provocations,” he said, “our military, in conjunction with the solid South Korea-U.S. defense posture, will punish North Korea swiftly, strongly, and to the end.”
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