Overview
- South Korea’s intelligence service, which briefed senior officials Thursday, said Pyongyang added a rule that orders an automatic nuclear strike if the leader is killed or the nuclear command system is put at risk.
- The updated Article 3 states that a nuclear launch must occur automatically and immediately if hostile attacks endanger control of the state’s nuclear forces.
- The change was adopted during the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, as part of a wider rewrite reported to shift how the constitution treats the South.
- Experts cited in the reports link the codified retaliation plan to lessons North Korea drew from U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, describing the step as deterrence signaling rather than a brand-new capability.
- North Korean state media also showcased a new 155mm self-propelled howitzer with a range over 37 miles, saying frontline units near the border will receive it this year, which would put central Seoul within range.