North Korea answers Trump's outreach attempts with missile tests – how many nuclear weapons does the country have?

North Korea has responded to perceived U.S. overtures with a show of military force, launching ten ballistic missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula. South Korean and Japanese officials confirmed the launches, which occurred on Thursday.

The missile tests followed U.S. President Donald Trump's recent directive to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea. Trump characterized these drills as an "inappropriate and hostile signal" to North Korea, stating that Pyongyang had behaved "peacefully and respectfully" since his administration began. This move by Trump was seen as an attempt to revive dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seven years after their summit in Hanoi ended without agreement.

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This is a completely inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea, which has behaved peacefully and respectfully since I took office.

North Korea, however, appears unconvinced by Trump's conciliatory gestures. Pyongyang's military action signals a clear rejection of dialogue under current conditions. Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong Un, stated, according to the official KCNA news agency, that the "hostile policy of the United States towards North Korea has not changed."

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the hostile policy of the United States towards North Korea has not changed.

South Korean assessments suggest that North Korea may have used a missile system capable of being armed with tactical nuclear weapons. These launches violate United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from developing its nuclear and missile programs. The missiles reportedly flew approximately 300 kilometers from near the North Korean capital.

Meanwhile, Trump commented on North Korea's nuclear arsenal, telling journalists that Kim Jong Un possesses "57 very powerful nuclear weapons." This statement implicitly acknowledges North Korea as a nuclear state, a departure from the long-standing U.S. policy aiming for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The effectiveness of this denuclearization goal is increasingly questioned, as Kim has repeatedly signaled his unwillingness to abandon his nuclear weapons.

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he has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. That should never have been allowed. But he has them.