North Korea has amended its constitution to require the military to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated or incapacitated by a foreign adversary.The constitutional change comes after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several of his close advisors in raids during the first phase of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Tehran.The amendment was adopted during the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened on March 22 in Pyongyang. The changes were revealed on Thursday during a briefing by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to senior government officials, The Telegraph reported.According to the National Intelligence Briefing, Kim remains in command of North Korea’s nuclear forces, but the constitutional amendment formally establishes procedures for retaliatory action in the event he is killed or unable to command.The revised Article 3 of the Nuclear Policy Act states: “If the system of command and control of a State’s nuclear forces is endangered by attacks by hostile forces…a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately.”
Professor Andrei Lankov, a Russian-born professor of history and international relations at Kookmin University in Seoul, said the change reflects growing concerns in Pyongyang following recent developments in Iran.“This may have been a policy before, but it has increased emphasis now that it has been enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.“Iran was a wake-up call. North Korea witnessed the remarkable efficiency of the US-Israeli beheading attacks, which instantly wiped out much of the Iranian leadership, and now they must be terrified.”Experts believe that carrying out a similar operation in North Korea would be much more difficult than in Iran due to the country’s isolation and strict security controls. North Korea’s borders remain largely closed, and foreign diplomats, aid workers and business people allowed into the country are closely monitored, limiting opportunities for intelligence gathering.Reports suggest that Israeli intelligence has tracked Iranian leaders through hacked traffic cameras in Tehran, but such tactics would be difficult in Pyongyang due to its limited CCTV network and tightly controlled intranet system.Kim Jong Un is also known to maintain tight personal security measures. He is constantly accompanied by bodyguards, avoids air travel, and usually travels by heavily armored train.Professor Lankov said Pyongyang’s main interest was likely to be satellite surveillance technology.He added: “Their biggest fear will be information from satellite technology. Overall, their fears are not unfounded, because overthrowing the leadership at the beginning of any conflict is likely to be decisive.”He added that the North Korean military remains loyal to the leadership and is likely to carry out retaliatory orders in the event of an attack.“I don’t see any possibility of an attack from South Korea, so any retaliation would target the United States,” Professor Lankov said.Meanwhile, North Korea is also preparing to deploy a new type of artillery system near its border with South Korea, according to state media reports issued on Friday.The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim recently visited an ammunition factory to inspect the production of “new-type 155 mm self-propelled howitzers.”The artillery system has a range of more than 37 miles and will be deployed this year in long-range artillery units stationed along the border with South Korea, KCNA said.The new weapon could put central Seoul, which is about 35 miles from the border, within striking distance, along with large parts of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea’s most populous region and a major industrial center.The howitzer “will provide great changes and advantages to our army’s ground operations,” Kim was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency as saying.Despite recent peace overtures by the South Korean government, North Korea has continued to describe Seoul as its main adversary, and recently removed old references to the unification of the two Koreas from its constitution.North and South Korea are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.
