North Koreaupdated 19m ago2 min read
North Korea Publishes Revised Constitution Dropping Reunification Goal, Naming South Korea Separate State
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North Korea designates South Korea as a separate state in the revised constitution. It drops references to reunification and peaceful reunification.
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Constitution Drops Reunification
North Korea published on Wednesday a new version of its Constitution on a state site, removing expressions “peaceful reunification” and “national unity” relating to South Korea. The revised text says North Korea and South Korea no longer constitute a single provisional nation, but two separate states, and it strengthens North Korea’s status as a nuclear power. TheKoreaTimes said the new version corresponds to the amended text adopted at the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly on March 23.
The new Constitution also strengthens Kim Jong-un’s status by explicitly granting him command over the nuclear forces, while allowing delegation of nuclear-use authority to the country’s competent nuclear forces body in case of absolute necessity. Globalinfo.az reported that the updated text, published on North Korea’s state information portal “Nenara,” mentions South Korea directly for the first time as a southern neighbour.
Territory Defined in Article 2
North Korea’s revised Constitution defines the country’s territory in a provision that states it borders China and Russia in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south.
Article 2 defines North Korea’s territory as land “bordering the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation to the north and the Republic of Korea to the south,” as well as territorial waters and airspace based on that land.
The most significant change is in Article 2, which explicitly names South Korea as a separate country sharing a border with the North, while not specifying the precise land or maritime boundaries.
CNews said the revision provisionally deleted sections devoted to the country’s modern history that contained references to “reunification” and to “national unity.”
Korea JoongAng Daily said the revised text does not include language designating South Korea as the “No. 1 hostile state” or “invariable principal enemy.”
Kim’s Nuclear Authority Expanded
The new Constitution places the command of the nuclear forces under the North Korean leader in the Constitution, reinforcing the role of the nuclear weapon in the country’s organization. The revised constitution grants the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, a position held by Kim, command over the country’s nuclear forces and the power to delegate authority to use nuclear weapons to the state nuclear command organization. The revised document expands Kim’s authority over the country’s nuclear forces, including allowing him to delegate the power to use nuclear weapons to the state nuclear command organisation.
재경일보 said Naenara published the full text of the “Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in the Constitution section of its website on the 11th, after the constitutional section had been disabled in March 2024. Korea JoongAng Daily said the disclosure comes about two years and eight months after the regime made its constitution inaccessible following Kim Jong-un's declaration of the two-state doctrine.