North Korea has promised to “automatically and immediately” launch its nuclear weapons in the event of Kim Jong Un being killed or incapacitated in an attack, according to a new law. The legislation comes after the country's leader remarked that they will never give up on their nuclear and missile program.
Additionally, the decision will give North Korea to power to fire a pre-emptive strike if it is felt that an attack on Kim Jong Un is imminent.
“The nuclear posture of the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] is guaranteed by the reliable, effective and matured nuclear deterrence, defensive and responsible nuclear forces policy and flexible and purposeful strategy for using nuclear weapon capable of actively coping with any existing and developing nuclear threats in future,” the law reads, according to the New York Post.
While the United States has remained committed to denuclearizing the entire Korean peninsula, Kim Jong Un has stated that he has no plans to do so.
Speaking with state-run media on Friday, Kim Jong Un said: “(We will) never give up nuclear weapons and there is absolutely no denuclearization, and no negotiation and no bargaining chip to trade in the process."
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told NatSec Daily that the United States' "policy remains unchanged" and that they will continue to coordinate with allies for “the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
[Via]
