North Korea has included a provision in its constitution that mandates a retaliatory nuclear strike if its leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, the Telegraph reported.

The Telegraph reported that the change comes amid heightened international tensions following the recent killings of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials during conflicts.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran earlier this year as part of a joint US-Israeli military operation.

The constitutional amendment was approved as North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly convened in Pyongyang on March 22, according to the Telegraph.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed senior government officials on the latest developments this week, according to reports.

The revised policy outlines the retaliatory measures to be taken if the North Korean leadership is incapacitated or killed.

"If the command and control system of the country's nuclear forces is endangered by an attack by hostile forces... a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately," the revised provision states.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the enlarged meeting of the 9th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 23, 2026. This photo was released by the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 24, 2026. [Photo Credit: Reuters]

NNP News previously reported that North Korea amended its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and removed provisions related to unification, interpreting this as a signal that nuclear weapons could be used against South Korea.

Last month, Kim Jong Un declared South Korea the "most hostile" country and maintained a hardline stance, while vowing to further strengthen North Korea's nuclear capabilities.

Kim Jong Un also accused the United States of "state terrorism and aggression," suggesting that North Korea could play a more active role in confronting Washington amid rising international tensions, Fox News reported.

In early February, Mark Levin on Fox News pointed out the problems with Iran's dictatorial regime, saying, "I think Iran is becoming the North Korea of the Middle East." He added: "They will launch an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead at our cities without hesitation."

The statement that Iran's dictatorial regime could do so is being reinterpreted to mean that North Korea could also do so. Fox News published a broadcast from Mark Levin from three months prior when reporting on the amendment to North Korea's constitution.

NNP=Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Correspondent for this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com