Seoul: North Korea estimated to have 20-60 nuclear weapons

SEOUL, South Korea — A top South Korean official told lawmakers that North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul’s first public comment about the size of the North’s secrecy-clouded arsenal.

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told parliament Monday the estimates on the size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal range from 20 bombs to as many as 60. He was responding to a question by a lawmaker, saying the information came from the intelligence authorities.

Also on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading back to North Korea and will meet leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday for another round of talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up the regime’s nuclear weapons.