North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if its leader, Kim Jong Un, is assassinated, according to a report by The Telegraph. The change comes as global tensions have risen following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a recent conflict involving a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation.
The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang. South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.
The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea's leadership is incapacitated or killed. The updated provision states: "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."
This is not the first time North Korea has made significant changes to its foundational governing document. Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and to remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim's push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states. That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.
Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country's nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the "most hostile" state. Kim has also accused the United States of "state terrorism and aggression" and signaled that North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington as global tensions continue to rise.
The constitutional change adds a layer of formal policy to what had previously been implied doctrine, creating an automatic trigger for nuclear retaliation tied directly to the physical fate of the country's leader. South Korean intelligence officials are now tracking the development closely, according to the report.
