Trump asked Kim Jong Un to hand over his nuclear weapons to US in 2019 and now North Korea has 57

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump says North Korea now has 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons, even as he looks forward to meeting leader Kim Jong Un again and reviving diplomacy that broke down years ago.

Trump gave the figure on Wednesday, August 19, while speaking to reporters at the White House.

His comments came as he moved to reduce US-South Korean military exercises, citing his “very good relationship” with Kim and describing North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful.”

Trump and Kim Jong Un last met at Hanoi summit in 2019

The last time Trump and Kim sat down for talks was in Hanoi in February 2019.

Their diplomacy, which began with the Singapore summit in 2018, had reached a key point: Washington wanted North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and fuel.

The Hanoi meeting ended without a deal.

North Korea sought sanctions relief in exchange for a more limited dismantling of its nuclear facilities, but the Trump administration pushed for broader denuclearization. The two sides failed to bridge this divide.

Trump and Kim never held another summit after Hanoi, while North Korea continued advancing its nuclear program.

North Korea’s nuclear arsenal expands after failed Hanoi summit

Trump's new figure of 57 is notable because the exact size of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal remains difficult to establish.

At the beginning of 2019, SIPRI estimated that North Korea had around 20 to 30 nuclear warheads, while stressing that the figure was highly uncertain.

North Korea, meanwhile, has never publicly disclosed the precise size of its nuclear stockpile.

South Korea's estimate is higher. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers that North Korea is generally believed to possess around 80 to 120 nuclear weapons.

Ahn later clarified that he was citing an estimate from a private research institute rather than an official military assessment. The differing numbers indicate how difficult it is to determine the size of Pyongyang's nuclear stockpile.

Kim Jong Un hardens North Korea’s nuclear stance

Over the years, North Korea's position on its nuclear weapons has hardened.

In 2026, North Korea reaffirmed that its nuclear status is “irreversible and permanent,” making the country's position very different from 2018, when denuclearization was at the center of Trump's engagement with Kim.

North Korea has also previously pointed to the fate of Libya under Moammar Gadhafi as a reason for viewing nuclear disarmament as a security risk.

Its position has remained that its nuclear weapons are necessary for protecting the country.

The US approach toward Iran has also added to the backdrop, with Washington opposing Tehran possessing nuclear weapons.

Trump moves to pave way for another Kim Jong Un meeting

Trump's recent moves suggest he is trying to create a friendlier atmosphere ahead of another possible meeting.

He ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce US-South Korean military exercises, arguing that the drills are costly and send an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise still went ahead but was shortened.

Trump also wrote on Truth Social that, based on his “very good relationship” with Kim, he was unhappy that the US continues to participate in the exercises.

“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” Trump wrote, calling North Korea “unthreatening and respectful.”

Trump’s comments show the difficult position any new talks with North Korea would face.

He said Pyongyang has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons” and that this “should have never been allowed to happen.”

At the same time, he said he was looking forward to seeing Kim Jong Un again, suggesting that he is still open to restarting diplomacy.

If the two meet again later this year, they would be returning to the table with North Korea’s nuclear arsenal now a much bigger part of the equation.