North Korea has removed all references to reunification with South Korea from a revised constitution, according to a document circulated this week. The change, part of an update introduced in March and shared with South Korea’s Unification Ministry, marks a sharp departure from policy dating back to 1948 when Pyongyang had formally committed to pursuing unification.
The amended text also redefines North Korea’s territory as extending north to its borders with China and Russia and south to “the Republic of Korea,” using South Korea’s official name. Another key change designates Kim Jong Un, in his role as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, as the country’s head of state. The revision further states that command of the country’s nuclear forces rests with the State Affairs Commission chairman, formalizing Kim’s authority over the weapons and describing North Korea as a “responsible nuclear weapons state.”
Seoul-based political scientist Lee Jung Chul said the new wording could provide a legal basis for “peaceful coexistence” between the two Korean states, and noted that the omission of a defined inter-Korean border might signal an intent to avoid immediate confrontation.
Still, the constitutional edits come against a backdrop of growing hostility from Pyongyang toward Seoul. North Korea has rejected overtures for talks from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Since late 2023, Kim has referred to Seoul as the “main enemy,” ordered the destruction of a major reunification monument in Pyongyang, and in January 2024 pushed for constitutional language that labeled South Korea the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy,” asserting a separate territorial identity.
Pyongyang has simultaneously pledged to expand its nuclear arsenal and stepped up weapons activity, conducting four missile tests in April—the highest monthly total in more than two years. The regime has also moved closer to Russia, with reports that it provided troops and artillery shells in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Observers say the constitutional changes reflect a recalibration of North Korea’s official stance toward the South—formalizing Kim’s domestic and nuclear authority while signaling a possible shift from reunification as a stated goal to a posture focused on sovereign separation and strategic deterrence.