Swedish think tank estimates N. Korea has 30 nuclear warheads

A Swedish think tank estimates that North Korea may have expanded its nuclear arsenal to 30 as its production capacity increases.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) released its yearbook for 2023 on Monday that provided detailed estimates on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities among eight other nuclear forces, including the U.S., Russia and China.

The think tank explained that the North continued to prioritize its military nuclear program as a central element of its national security strategy and estimated that the regime likely has a total of 30 operational nuclear payloads.

The report also projected that the regime could potentially produce 50 to 70 nuclear weapons with its inventory of fissile material as of January 2023.

It further emphasized that while the number of nuclear warheads in the world continues to decline, this is primarily due to the U.S. and Russia dismantling retired warheads, with work under way in both countries as well as China to modernize and expand their stockpiles for the future.

According to the report, nine states around the world possess approximately 12-thousand-512 nuclear weapons, with the majority held by the U.S. and Russia.