North Korea constitution mandates nuclear strike if Kim killed, report says
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North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.
Telegram The change comes amid rising global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict, it said.
As Fox News Digital previously reported, Khamenei was killed in an Israeli attack in Tehran as part of a coordinated US-Israeli military operation earlier this year.
The constitutional amendment was approved during a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, which opened in Pyongyang on March 22, the publication said.
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North Korea launched two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon on Sunday, April 12, 2026, according to North Korean state media. (Korea Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) notified senior government officials about the update this week, according to the report.
The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if the North Korean leadership is neutralized or killed.
The updated provision states, “If the State’s system of command and control over its nuclear forces is compromised by attacks by enemy forces… a nuclear attack shall be automatically and immediately initiated.” It is said.
KIM JONG UN CALLED SOUTH KOREA THE ‘HOSTILE ENEMY’ AND SAID THE NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives a speech at the opening ceremony of Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang on February 15, 2026. (KCNA via KNS/AFP)
Reuters had previously reported that North Korea had revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification; this reflects Kim’s push to treat the two Koreas as formally separate states.
This marked the first time that North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.
Last month, Kim vowed to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while continuing his harsh stance against South Korea, which he described as the “most hostile” state.
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Kim Jong Un reportedly observed missile tests in North Korea on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Korea Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
Kim also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression” and signaled that North Korea may take a more active role in opposition to Washington in the face of rising global tensions.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
