North Korea will fire nuclear weapon if Kim is killed: Report
The Business Standard • • world
Key Points:
- North Korea has amended its constitution to mandate an automatic retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong-un is assassinated by a foreign adversary, following concerns raised by the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
- The constitutional revision was adopted during the first session of North Korea's 15th Supreme People's Assembly on March 22 and was disclosed by South Korea's National Intelligence Service.
- The change codifies procedures for nuclear retaliation even if Kim is incapacitated or killed, with Article 3 stating that a nuclear strike will be launched automatically if the command-and-control system is threatened by hostile attacks.
- Experts suggest the policy may have existed previously but now holds greater significance after being enshrined in the constitution, with Iran's decapitation strikes serving as a key motivator.
- Despite the new policy, analysts believe an attack to eliminate Kim would be much more difficult than the Iran strikes due to North Korea's sealed borders and tight control over foreign access, limiting critical human intelligence.
