North Korea has amended its constitution to mandate an automatic nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is killed, according to a report by The Telegraph citing a briefing from South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

The revised constitution designates Kim Jong Un as chairman of the State Affairs Commission and explicitly affirms his role as the sole commander of the country's nuclear forces. The law emphasizes Kim's exclusive authority over nuclear weapons.

The Telegraph reports that if the command-and-control system for nuclear forces is threatened by enemy attack, “a nuclear strike will be launched automatically and immediately.”

South Korea estimates that North Korea possesses about 60 nuclear warheads and nearly 2 tons of highly enriched uranium.

The amendments were adopted on March 22 during the first session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang. The Telegraph suggests the changes may have been prompted by the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several of his aides.

Source: kun.uz