--- description: South Korea's latest defense white paper says the North's weapons-grade plutonium stockpile has jumped dramatically in two years. title: Kim Jong Un 'Has Enough Plutonium for 10 Nuclear Weapons' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d195836907395ea/6988b5490a4a22a84c9cc897/gettyimages-629030068.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Kim Jong Un Now Has Enough Plutonium to Make 10 Nuclear Warheads, a New Report Says ## Video: This Video Is No Longer Available [Watch (HLS stream): This Video Is No Longer Available](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8) (0:10)  _Published 2026-06-23. North Korea's weapons-grade plutonium stockpile has soared in the past two years_ by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 12, 2017 4:35 AM CUT by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 12, 2017 4:35 AM CUT North Korea now has enough material to make 10 nuclear warheads, according to the latest military analysis by its southern neighbor. The conclusion is based on Pyongyang’s estimated 50-kg stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium, and the reckoning that each warhead would require an average of 4 to 6 kg of nuclear material. Citing Seoul’s 2016 _Defense White Paper_, released Wednesday, the _Korea Times_ [reports](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2017/01/116%5F221866.html "undefined") that the North’s plutonium stash has jumped from 40 to 50 kg over the past two years. These new supplies of nuclear material originate from Pyongyang’s reprocessing of its spent fuel rods, the report says. An unnamed Defense Ministry official told the _Times_ that its conclusion came after South Korea and the U.S. “analyzed various aspects such as the operation situation of the North’s nuclear reactor.” The ministry also suggests that Pyongyang is developing both intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, although the same defense official told the _Times_ that the North’s ICBM capabilities have “yet to reach a reliable level.” **Read More:** [_American Tourism Might Be Helping North Korea’s Weapons Program_](http://time.com/4566405/north-korea-us-tourism/ "undefined") The report comes just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country was “in the final stages of test-launching” ICBMs, which attracted [a stern warning from the Pentagon](http://time.com/4620129/pentagon-north-korea-icmb-ballistic-missile-threat/ "undefined"). With less than nine days to go until the next U.S. President assumes office, there are concerns that the incoming Administration either [has no solid plans](http://time.com/4574302/donald-trump-north-korea-kim-jong-un-nuclear-weapons/ "undefined") to respond to Pyongyang’s advances in nuclear weaponry, or that it might [inadvertently escalate ](http://time.com/4621475/china-donald-trump-north-korea-twitter/ "undefined")the Korean Peninsula’s already contentious security situation. In addition, Seoul also noted the further expansion of the North’s conventional armed forces in the white paper, reports the _Korea Times_. According to the white paper, the total number of North Korean soldiers rose from 1.2 million to 1.28 million, and a unit engaging in cyberwarfare has expanded from 6,000 members to 6,800. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4632447/north-korea-plutonium-nuclear-weapons-kim-jong-un/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4632447/north-korea-plutonium-nuclear-weapons-kim-jong-un/"},"headline":"Kim Jong Un Now Has Enough Plutonium to Make 10 Nuclear Warheads, a New Report Says","datePublished":"2017-01-12T04:35:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:56:55.840Z","description":"North Korea's weapons-grade plutonium stockpile has soared in the past two years","url":"https://time.com/4632447/north-korea-plutonium-nuclear-weapons-kim-jong-un/","keywords":["North Korea","South Korea","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d195836907395ea/6988b5490a4a22a84c9cc897/gettyimages-629030068.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin Lui","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kevin-lui/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d195836907395ea/6988b5490a4a22a84c9cc897/gettyimages-629030068.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NKOREA-POLITICS-DEFENCE","caption":"NKOREA-POLITICS-DEFENCE","creditText":"KNS—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4632447/north-korea-plutonium-nuclear-weapons-kim-jong-un/","name":"Kim Jong Un Now Has Enough Plutonium to Make 10 Nuclear Warheads, a New Report Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"North Korea's weapons-grade plutonium stockpile has soared in the past two years","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4632447/north-korea-plutonium-nuclear-weapons-kim-jong-un/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4632447/north-korea-plutonium-nuclear-weapons-kim-jong-un/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```