North Korea Approves Automatic Nuclear Strike Policy if Kim Jong-un Is Assassinated

North Korea Approves Automatic Nuclear Strike Policy if Kim Jong-un Is Assassinated

North Korea has amended its constitution to authorize an automatic nuclear retaliation in the event that leader Kim Jong-un is killed or incapacitated by foreign forces, a dramatic policy shift that has intensified global security concerns over the Korean Peninsula.

The constitutional amendment, approved during the opening session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on March 22, was publicly disclosed this week by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) during a briefing to lawmakers.

Under the revised law, North Korea’s military is now legally empowered to launch a nuclear strike automatically if the country’s command-and-control system comes under attack.

The updated Article 3 of the North’s nuclear policy law states that 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 development effectively creates what analysts describe as a “dead man’s switch” system aimed at guaranteeing retaliation even if the country’s top leadership is eliminated in a surprise military operation.

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Security experts believe the move was strongly influenced by the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and several senior advisers during coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Tehran earlier this year.

According to regional analysts, Pyongyang viewed the Iran operation as proof that advanced intelligence coordination, cyber infiltration and precision air strikes could rapidly dismantle a nation’s leadership structure.

Professor Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul said the constitutional revision reflects growing fears within the North Korean leadership about potential “decapitation strikes” targeting senior government officials.

He explained that the Iran incident likely served as a “wake-up call” for Pyongyang, convincing authorities that they needed a legally binding system capable of ensuring nuclear retaliation even if Kim Jong-un were unable to issue direct orders.

The revised constitution also reportedly strengthens Kim Jong-un’s direct authority over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. For the first time, the constitution explicitly grants the chairman of the State Affairs Commission formal command authority over nuclear weapons while establishing emergency procedures for delegated launch authority during wartime or national emergencies.

South Korean intelligence officials further disclosed that North Korea has removed longstanding references to peaceful reunification with South Korea from its constitution, signaling a major ideological shift in Pyongyang’s position toward the South.

Analysts say the constitutional changes suggest North Korea increasingly views the Korean Peninsula as permanently divided into two separate states rather than countries destined for reunification.

The announcement coincided with fresh military activity near the inter-Korean border.

State media agency KCNA reported that Kim Jong-un recently inspected production of a “new-type 155-millimetre self-propelled gun-howitzer” at a major munitions facility. According to the report, the artillery system has a firing range exceeding 37 miles, placing central Seoul and large parts of Gyeonggi Province within striking distance.

Kim reportedly described the new artillery system as one that would bring “significant changes and advantages” to North Korea’s ground combat operations.

Military analysts note that carrying out an operation similar to the strikes on Tehran would be significantly more difficult inside North Korea due to the country’s strict internal security apparatus, limited internet access, restricted communications network and minimal foreign presence.

Kim Jong-un is widely regarded as highly security-conscious, often traveling aboard armored trains instead of aircraft and moving with heavily protected convoys and elite security units.

The latest constitutional revisions have heightened tensions across East Asia, with observers warning that the formalization of an automatic nuclear response doctrine increases the risks of rapid escalation during any future military confrontation involving North Korea.

Relations between North and South Korea remain tense despite occasional diplomatic overtures from Seoul. The two countries are technically still at war because the 1950–1953 Korean War ended with an armistice agreement rather than a permanent peace treaty.

North Korea Approves Automatic Nuclear Strike Policy if Kim Jong-un Is Assassinated