North Korea approves law allowing nuclear strike in case of attack on leader

North Korea’s parliament approved a revised nuclear policy during a recent session that allows for an “automatic nuclear strike” in the event North Korea is attacked, including provisions for immediate retaliation if its command-and-control systems are targeted.

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un ruled out abandoning nuclear weapons, accusing the United States of seeking the collapse of his regime, and said he has no intention of returning to nuclear talks, Caliber.Az reports, citing Korean media.

The law grants Kim “monolithic command” over nuclear forces and centralises all decision-making authority.

He argued that Washington’s true goal is to pressure North Korea into disarmament in order to undermine its leadership. Kim Jong-un said the US objective is not just to “eliminate our nuclear weapons” but ultimately to “weaken the power to exercise self-defense” through sanctions and pressure.

He criticised US-led sanctions, calling them a “misjudgment” by adversaries, and said North Korea would continue expanding its “tactical nuclear operation” to strengthen its deterrent capability.

Kim said formalising the country’s nuclear doctrine was intended to make its position irreversible, closing off the possibility of bargaining over its arsenal unless broader changes occur in the regional and global security environment.

In domestic remarks, he also called for a vaccination campaign against what he described as a “malicious virus,” likely referring to COVID-19, and suggested increased public health measures.

South Korea responded by reiterating its commitment to denuclearisation through dialogue, warning that continued weapons development would strengthen the US–South Korea alliance and further isolate Pyongyang internationally.

Nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States have remained stalled since the failed 2019 summit between Kim and then-President Donald Trump in Hanoi.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov