PYONGYANG: North Korea has approved a dramatic and unprecedented amendment to its nuclear doctrine, triggering a global wave of concern. Under the new law, the country will launch an automatic nuclear attack if its leader, Kim Jong-un, is killed or incapacitated by an enemy strike.
According to international media reports, the revised North Korean constitution now includes a clause mandating an immediate retaliatory nuclear strike if the nation’s nuclear command and control system is threatened. The British newspaper The Sun reported that although the constitutional amendment was officially approved on March 22, its details have only now been made public.
The new clause, added to Article 3 of North Korea’s Nuclear Policy Law, states: “If the state’s nuclear command and control system is threatened by an attack by hostile forces, an automatic and immediate nuclear attack will be carried out.”
Analysts are attributing this aggressive shift to recent regional tensions and events in the Middle East. Reports suggest that Pyongyang is alarmed by the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in alleged US and Israeli attacks. North Korea reportedly fears its own top leadership could face similar threats in the future.
However, intelligence experts note that targeting Kim Jong-un or his inner circle via external action remains extremely difficult. North Korea’s borders are largely sealed, foreigners are rigorously monitored, and access to the top leadership is nearly impossible.
In a parallel military development, North Korea announced it has deployed a new type of 155mm automatic artillery piece near the border with South Korea. State media claims the weapon has a range exceeding 60 kilometers (37 miles). Kim Jong-un personally inspected the new artillery system, stating that it would “bring a significant change in North Korea’s ground combat capabilities.”
The twin announcements have heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with neighboring countries and the US closely monitoring the situation.
