Bloomberg: North Korea's nuclear weapons are outpacing US military defenses, Kim Jong Un can acquire 20 new nuclear warheads annually

North Korea is currently estimated to possess approximately 50 nuclear warheads, with an annual production capacity of up to 20. Bloomberg warns that the U.S. Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which cost $65 billion to build, is equipped with only 44 interceptors. Given the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) North Korea can mobilize, this defense line may be at a critical breaking point. (Previous coverage: North Korean hackers set a record in 2025: $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency stolen, with a money laundering cycle of approximately 45 days) (Background supplement: Trump continues to offer concessions: Iran is clearing sea mines, and he has strictly ordered "a ban on Israel bombing Lebanon") Reports indicate that in seven years, Kim Jong Un's nuclear production capacity has tripled, growing from enough fissile material for about 6 bombs per year to 12 to 20 per year, while the U.S. defense system has remained almost stagnant. During his first term, Trump claimed that the U.S. had ended the North Korean nuclear threat (he met with Kim Jong Un multiple times in 2018 and 2019). However, according to a recent Bloomberg report, the GMD is currently the only weapon system capable of intercepting ICBMs from North Korea or Iran. This system cost $65 billion and has a total of 44 interceptors deployed in Alaska and California. The problem is that analysts estimate North Korea currently possesses 24 to 48 missile launchers, some of which have already been unveiled at military parades. In other words, if North Korea were to launch 24 ICBMs simultaneously, the GMD's interceptors would be exhausted. North Korea's active Hwasong-15, -17, -18, and -19 series ICBMs theoretically possess the firepower to breach this defense line. Furthermore, North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility is continuing to expand. Satellite imagery and intelligence analysis show that external construction of a second uranium enrichment plant was completed in March 2026. In 2025, Kim Jong Un personally unveiled internal photos of the Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant, showing densely arranged centrifuges, which outsiders interpreted as a political signal intended to demonstrate nuclear production capabilities. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated publicly that North Korea can now produce enough fissile material for 20 nuclear weapons annually, confirming estimates from external analytical institutions. Bloomberg reports that if North Korea maintains this production rate, its total number of nuclear warheads will reach approximately 90 by 2035, approaching the current scale of Israel. Additionally, Bloomberg specifically highlights the strategic multiplier effect brought about by the military alliance signed between North Korea and Russia in 2024. Under this agreement, North Korea supplies ammunition and short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to support the war in Ukraine; in exchange, North Korea gains new foreign exchange income and a rare opportunity to test missile performance in a real combat environment. Analysts believe that North Korean short-range ballistic missiles have accumulated a large amount of combat data on the Ukrainian battlefield, which has immeasurable military value for a nuclear-armed state that has long been isolated by the international community and lacks combat experience. Bloomberg quotes an observation from Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: "They have accumulated more experience in managing nuclear forces and are more confident in their weapon systems... As a nuclear adversary, North Korea is no longer as easily deterred as it was a few years ago." Chun Yungwoo, former chief nuclear negotiator for South Korea, analyzed the situation from a geopolitical perspective: "The fates of Iran and Venezuela will reinforce Kim Jong Un's belief that his decision to expand nuclear weapons is wise and visionary." The subtext of this statement is: regimes that abandon nuclear weapons often face collapse, while those that possess them remain standing. Former U.S. State Department Special Envoy Joel Wit also poured cold water on the prospects for negotiations: "It is a mistake to think that the U.S. and South Korea can resume negotiations from where they left off in 2019. Today's North Korea is completely different from what it was then." 📍Related Reports📍 Bloomberg reports that in the face of the simultaneously escalating nuclear threats from North Korea, China, and Russia, the Trump administration is pushing for the "Golden Dome" program—a new generation of missile defense systems with a wider scope and more layers of interception. However, preliminary estimates suggest that the construction cost of this program could exceed $1 trillion, far exceeding the existing defense budget framework. In a recent public statement, senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby characterized the combination of North Korean and Moscow's nuclear weapons as the "primary