How many nuclear weapons does North Korea have?

The recent missile tests by the Kim Jong-un regime have attracted intense attention from the world, especially from President Donald Trump.

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump have traded barbs, as North Korea continues to pursue a nuclear weapons program with vigor.

Photo: AP

The North Korean leader has made it his mission to increase the number of nuclear weapons in his arsenal, and has conducted a series of tests.

So how many nuclear weapons does Pyongyang have now?

This summer, North Korea successfully launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) - which are estimated to have the range to reach the US mainland.

The Pentagon estimates that North Korea has approximately 200 missile launchers capable of firing short- and medium-range missiles.

Updated estimates put North Korea at 13-21 missiles, and it is believed to have four warheads. Each weapon is believed to have about half the explosive power of the type the US deployed against Japan in World War II.

Recent satellite images of North Korea’s key missile test sites show that the country’s weapons are more powerful than initially thought. A careful analysis of the missile test sites, combined with Planet satellite imagery, makes it clear that the Kim Jong Un regime is working hard to increase the size of its homemade missiles.

ABC News quoted information from the US Congressional Research Service saying that North Korea is believed to have 30-40 kg of separated plutonium.

Thae Yong-ho, a North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea, revealed in a December press conference that Kim Jong-un planned to acquire nuclear weapons within the next 12 months. "As long as Kim Jong-un is in power, North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons, even if it is exchanged for $1 trillion or $10 trillion," he said in late 2016.

Satellite images show that North Korea is also secretly building artificial islands to use as military bases in the event of a nuclear war.

For North Korea, the key is being able to produce nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ICBMs that can reach the United States.

What would North Korea target if it launched a missile attack?

North Korea's Musudan missiles, with a range of 5,600km, are capable of hitting US air and naval bases in Guam as well as any location in South Korea and Japan – two of Washington's key allies in the region.

North Korea itself claims it can hit the US and issued a similar threat after Mr Trump mocked the country's nuclear programme.

Photo: Reuters

The successful ICBM tests in July by the Kim Jong-un regime demonstrate that North Korea has taken a big step forward in its ambitions to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.

ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km, but some are designed to travel 10,000 km or more. California is about 9,000 km from North Korea. And any ICBM could almost certainly reach Hawaii and Alaska.

Will there be war?

Any armed conflict between the US and North Korea would destabilize the Far East, with China, Russia, South Korea and Japan likely to be the main players involved.

In an article in April, Jim Walsh – an expert on international security and currently working for the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – commented that war is unlikely to happen as many people warn.

"North Korea does not want a war, because it knows it will lose and lose badly. It means the end of the Kim Jong-un regime," he explained.

China and South Korea do not want a war with their border country and the ensuing influx of North Korean refugees, the expert added. In addition, a large-scale war could damage President Donald Trump's reputation.

However, Dr Walsh warned that the massive exercises and the lack of contact could lead to “unintended war”. He added that Chairman Kim Jong-un could even use his nuclear arsenal if he suspected the West of launching a preemptive strike to destroy Pyongyang’s military might.

According to Vietnamnet.vn