Report says capability almost certain in 18 months, but suggests regime does not consider UK a threat
North Korea is almost certain to complete development within 18 months of ballistic missiles capable of reaching the UK, according to a Commons defence select committee report. The report says the missiles could potentially carry nuclear warheads and it says the UK has only a limited ballistic missile defence capability.
But it adds a crucial caveat: “The Ministry of Defence does not consider that the UK will be a target of North Korean nuclear missiles, as its regime does not believe the UK to be a threat.” The focus of North Korean military planning is mainly the US and South Korea, it says.
“If there were a conflict in the region, the UK would have no legal obligation to provide military assistance. Yet, in the event of North Korean aggression against South Korea and/or against the United States, it is unlikely we would stand aside.”
The committee, made up of Conservative, Labour, Scottish National party and Democratic Unionist MPs, began taking evidence in September before the de-escalation of the crisis on the Korean peninsula. A face-to-face meeting between North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump is provisionally scheduled to take place before the end of May.
