North Korea has removed all references to reunification with South Korea from its constitution, according to a document circulating on Wednesday.
The revision marks a sharp break from decades of policy dating back to 1948, when Pyongyang had formally committed to pursuing unification.
How has North Korea changed its constitution?
The change was reported after the South Korean Unification Ministry shared a document seen by Yonhap News Agency and international media. The updated constitution, introduced in March, also includes a new clause defining North Korea’s territory as extending to the area bordering China and Russia to the north, “and the Republic of Korea to the south,” using South Korea’s official name.
The revision designates leader Kim Jong Un, as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, as North Korea’s head of state. Previous language described the chairman differently — as the country’s supreme leader who represents the state. It also states that command over North Korea’s nuclear forces rests with the State Affairs Commission chairman, formalizing Kim’s authority over the country’s nuclear forces and describing North Korea as a “responsible nuclear weapons state.”
What does the change mean for relations with South Korea?
Political scientist Lee Jung Chul of Seoul National University, cited by Yonhap, said the new policy could form a basis for “peaceful coexistence” between the two Korean states. Lee added that the omission of a specific inter-Korean border suggested Pyongyang may be seeking to avoid confrontation for the time being.
Nevertheless, Pyongyang has adopted an increasingly hostile posture toward Seoul in recent years and has rejected calls for dialogue from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Kim began shifting course in late 2023, calling Seoul the “main enemy,” and later ordered the demolition of a major reunification monument in Pyongyang. In January 2024 he urged a constitutional amendment that defined South Korea as the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy,” asserting that North Korean territory was separate from the South.
Kim has vowed to expand nuclear forces, and Pyongyang conducted four missile tests in April — the highest monthly total in more than two years. The North has also drawn closer to Russia, reportedly sending troops and artillery shells in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko