North Korean Nuclear Missile Capable Of Reaching UK Could Be Ready Soon

North Korea “almost certainly” will have a nuclear missile that can reach United Kingdom ready in 18 months if its weapons program continues at the same pace, British ministers warned Thursday. However, a “reckless” cyber strike is considered far more likely than the missile launch, they added.

“It is possible that North Korea can already strike the United Kingdom with ICBMs, which could potentially carry and deliver nuclear warheads,” the Commons' Defence Select Committee said in a report, according to the Telegraph. The report added the U.K. has a “limited” ballistic missile defense system, urging for a boost in the spending for before any possible threats from the leader of the reclusive country.

The report, however, stated 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.”

U.K. ministers said any use of such long-range weapons by Kim Jong Un's regime would lead to “devastating military consequences.”

“If there were a conflict in the region, the U.K. 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 report added.

It also stated North Korea must know that any further provocations or development in its nuclear program could lead to grave consequences.

"We believe it is obvious to North Korea that launching such weapons would lead inescapably to devastating military consequences from the US, South Korea and other countries too. It would result in the downfall – indeed the annihilation of the regime: the polar opposite of what Kim Jong-un is seeking to achieve," the report said. "He is ruthless, like other Communist dictators before him, but he is rational."

In the last two years, North Korea conducted several missile tests including that of nuclear missiles. It has so far carried out six nuclear tests, and several ballistic missiles launches. The reclusive country's move escalated tensions in the Korean Peninsula and forced the United Nations to impose tough sanctions against Pyongyang.

“With its current rate of development, it is possible that North Korea can already strike the United Kingdom with an intercontinental ballistic missile potentially able to carry and deliver a nuclear warhead,” the report said. “Within the next six to 18 months, it is almost certain to be able to achieve this capability.”

Last month, North Korea said it was ready for dialogue with United States President Donald Trump over its nuclear program. A South Korean official also said at the time the North Korean leader was committed to denuclearization.