The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a State Party to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Under the Convention it is prohibited from developing, producing and stockpiling biological and toxin weapons, which include anthrax. As a confidence building measure, States should submit annual returns to report implementation of the Convention, but the DPRK has only ever submitted one such return (in 1990). This makes it extremely difficult for the international community to have confidence that they are meeting their obligations under the Convention.

We are aware of claims by Im Cheon-Yong, a former DPRK Special Forces officer who defected in the mid-1990s. The UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in the DPRK considered this issue in their 2014 report but received no first-hand accounts. The Commission concluded it was not in a position to confirm these allegations, but noted them as subjects for further investigation.

The Ministry of Defence has a range of capabilities which contribute to the Government's overall strategy to counter the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threat. Defence has a number of programmes in train to enhance its Counter-CBRN capabilities to detect and remove CBRN threats and to protect UK Forces in the event of an attack. Building on existing capabilities, this will deliver a UK response that includes: early warning and detection, individual and collective protection, treatment and post-crisis management, and intelligence and analysis.