North Korea Approves Law to Launch Nuclear Strikes if Anyone Kills Kim Jong Un

North Korea has amended its constitution to automatically launch nuclear missiles if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated or incapacitated by a foreign attack, foreign media reported this week.

The constitutional revision formalizes a retaliatory doctrine ensuring that North Korea’s nuclear weapons would be launched even if the country’s top leader is eliminated for any reason.

The change was adopted during the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly, which convened in Pyongyang on March 22.

Details of the amendment were later disclosed in a briefing by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) to senior government officials.

Under the revised framework, Kim Jong Un remains the supreme commander of North Korea’s nuclear forces. The amendment establishes predefined launch procedures designed to guarantee retaliation also if the country’s nuclear command structure comes under attack.

The updated Article 3 of North Korea’s nuclear policy law states that if hostile forces threaten or disable the state’s nuclear command-and-control system, a nuclear strike must be carried out automatically and immediately.

Pyongyang has simply reinforced its deterrence by eliminating uncertainty over nuclear retaliation.

Many posters on X wrote that such an automatic launch doctrine increases escalation risks, as it reduces human decision-making time during crises and raises the possibility of rapid nuclear retaliation in the event of miscalculation or sudden conflict.