North Korea amends constitution to mandate nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: Report

North Korea has revised its nuclear policy to mandate an automatic nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated or incapacitated in a foreign attack, according to a report.

The constitutional revision was adopted during the first session of North Korea’s 15th Supreme People’s Assembly held in Pyongyang on March 22, The Telegraph reported. Details of the changes were shared with senior South Korean officials on Thursday by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), The Telegraph report said.

Under the revised law, Kim Jong Un will remain in command of the country’s nuclear arsenal. However, new provisions formally define how retaliation would take place if the leadership is targeted.

“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks ... a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated Article 3 of North Korea’s nuclear policy law states, according to the report.

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The development comes months after top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior advisers, were assassinated in US-Israeli military operations.

Professor Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University said the policy may have existed earlier but has now been elevated through its inclusion in the constitution.

“Iran was the wake-up call. North Korea saw the remarkable efficiency of the US-Israeli decapitation attacks, which immediately eliminated the greater part of the Iranian leadership, and they must now be terrified,” he told the outlet.

Unlike Iran, North Korea remains one of the world’s most isolated countries, making similar intelligence operations difficult. Foreign diplomats, aid workers and business visitors entering the country are closely monitored.

Reports suggested Israeli intelligence tracked Iranian leaders through hacked traffic cameras in Tehran. Experts say such tactics cannot be replicated in Pyongyang because of North Korea’s limited CCTV systems and highly restricted internet network.

Kim Jong Un is also known for strict security measures. He travels with heavy protection and usually avoids air travel, preferring a heavily armoured train.

“Their biggest fear is going to be information from satellite technology. And, on balance, their concerns are not unfounded as taking out the leadership at the outset of any conflict is likely to be decisive,” Prof Lankov said.

The report, citing North Korean state media, also said Pyongyang plans to deploy a new long-range artillery system near the border with South Korea this year.

According to KCNA, Kim recently inspected production of a “new-type 155-millimetre self-propelled gun-howitzer” capable of striking targets over 37 miles away. Central Seoul lies roughly 35 miles from the border.

The report added that the new artillery system would “provide significant changes and advantages to our military’s ground operations.”