The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, said in its latest report that the world's nine nuclear-armed states spent a record $119 billion on their nuclear arsenals in 2025, up $16.8 billion, or 19 percent from a year earlier.
The United States accounted for the largest share, spending $69.2 billion, more than all other nuclear-armed states combined. China came second with $13.5 billion, followed by the United Kingdom with $12.6 billion, Russia with $9.5 billion and France with $7.7 billion.
North Korea's estimated spending was the smallest in absolute terms among the nine nuclear-armed states, but the figure carries particular significance for South Korea because Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal remains the most immediate security threat on the Korean Peninsula.
ICAN estimated North Korea's nuclear weapons spending at $655.8 million, or 590 billion North Korean won, in 2025, up about $26 million from the previous year. The group said North Korea spent roughly $1,248 every minute on its nuclear program.
The report noted that there is very little public information about North Korea's nuclear or military spending. ICAN based its estimate on assumptions that North Korea allocates about 35 percent of its gross national income to the military and about 6 percent of its military budget to its nuclear program.
The estimate highlights how Pyongyang continues to channel resources into nuclear weapons despite years of international sanctions and persistent economic hardship.
According to the report, North Korea spent 3,854 times its assessed contribution to the United Nations on its nuclear arsenal in 2025. ICAN also estimated that the amount devoted to nuclear weapons could have helped save the lives of some 4 million people facing acute food insecurity.
For every North Korean citizen, the regime spent about $25 on its nuclear arsenal last year, the report said. One hour of nuclear weapons spending would have covered the annual salaries of 62 state workers.
The findings come as North Korea appears increasingly confident in advancing its nuclear ambitions.
Pyongyang has deepened military cooperation with Russia since supplying troops, artillery shells and weapons systems to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The relationship is believed to have provided North Korea with additional financial resources, technological assistance and diplomatic backing, easing some of the pressure that years of international sanctions sought to impose.
The growing nuclear burden also comes as China appears less willing to publicly emphasize denuclearization in its dealings with Pyongyang.
The omission has fueled concerns among some analysts that Beijing may be moving closer to tacitly accepting North Korea's nuclear status, or at least prioritizing strategic competition with the United States and regional stability over renewed pressure on Pyongyang.
That shift could further complicate Seoul's diplomatic approach.
South Korea has long viewed China as an important stakeholder in efforts to restrain North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Beijing's silence on denuclearization at the summit, however, suggests such expectations may be increasingly difficult to sustain as geopolitical alignments harden across Northeast Asia.
Asked at Tuesday's briefing whether China's omission signaled a shift in Beijing's approach, the Foreign Ministry said Seoul's position remains unchanged.
"The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a consistent goal of the international community confirmed by multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said. "Our government will continue to uphold that goal without wavering."
The long-term outlook raises concerns in Seoul, where North Korea's expanding nuclear and missile capabilities have fueled calls for stronger deterrence measures.
The government has launched plans to pursue nuclear-powered submarines armed with conventional weapons, arguing they would strengthen South Korea's ability to counter North Korea's growing submarine-based nuclear and missile threats.
Experts say Pyongyang's nuclear buildup is increasingly tied to a broader military modernization effort.
"North Korea is using the maritime domain as a core battlefield to advance and operationalize its nuclear weapons," said Ban Kil-joo, assistant professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. "South Korea now needs a multilayered diplomatic and security strategy based not only on its own capabilities and the South Korea-U.S. alliance."
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