A South Korean minister says that North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul’s first public comment about the size of the North’s arsenal.

South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told lawmakers on Tuesday that estimates on the size of the North’s nuclear arsenal ranged from 20 bombs to as many as 60.

Cho said the information came from the intelligence authorities.

However, the minister said this did not mean South Korea would accept the North as a nuclear state. He also suggested that Seoul’s diplomatic efforts to halt the North’s nuclear program continue.

According to Seoul’s government reports, the North is believed to have produced 50 kilograms of weaponry plutonium, enough for at least eight nuclear bombs.

It is the first time a senior South Korean official has publicly spoken about the size of the North’s secretive haul of weapons.