North Korea has enacted a sweeping constitutional revision that removes all unification references. The revised charter now defines only the North Korean region as state territory. This change aligns with Kim Jong-un’s two hostile states doctrine declared in late 2023. Therefore, this constitutional revision eliminates terms like northern half, peaceful reunification, and great national unity. Experts discussed these amendments at a Seoul press conference on Wednesday. Lee Jung-chul, a professor at Seoul National University, analyzed the changes in detail.
The constitutional revision occurred during the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly on March 22 and 23. The revised document defines North Korea’s territory as the area bordered by China, Russia, and South Korea. It includes territorial waters and airspace based on those boundaries. However, it makes no specific mention of the maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea. This omission appears intentional, according to Lee. The moment we mention maritime lines, compromises become difficult for both sides, he explained. Consequently, this constitutional revision avoids creating that specific territorial dispute.
North Korea also removed references to founding leader Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il’s accomplishments. Lee assessed these changes as an attempt to portray Pyongyang as a more conventional state actor. He viewed the constitutional revision as a potentially positive step toward peaceful coexistence. The new provisions lack explicitly hostile wording directed at Seoul. One could make a hopeful assessment that this provides institutional groundwork for peaceful coexistence, Lee said. Nevertheless, the constitutional revision also explicitly addresses nuclear weapons authority for the first time.
Article 89 of the amended constitution grants nuclear command powers to the State Affairs Commission chairman. The chairman may delegate nuclear authority to the state nuclear forces command organization. Additionally, the revision formally identifies the commission president as the head of state. This position now ranks above the Supreme People’s Assembly in the constitutional hierarchy. Another new provision gives the president authority to transfer nuclear command power. The revision also removed the assembly’s power to dismiss the commission president. Consequently, this constitutional revision weakens the assembly’s symbolic oversight function.
North Korea originally adopted its constitution in 1948 and enacted a socialist version in 1972. The latest amendment in March also removed the word socialist from the official title. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, offered further analysis. Yang stated that the constitutional revision reflects Kim Jong-un’s two hostile states doctrine. The removal of unification provisions and the new territorial clause reinforce two separate states. North Korea effectively defined the northern half as its territory, Yang explained. The southern half belongs to the Republic of Korea under this framework. By removing unification provisions, Pyongyang codifies a message of mutual territorial respect. We will not covet your territory, so you should not covet ours, Yang summarized.
Looking ahead, this constitutional revision may reshape inter-Korean relations fundamentally. South Korea’s Unification Ministry hosted the press conference to disseminate these findings. Diplomatic observers note that peaceful coexistence now replaces reunification as the stated goal. The nuclear command provisions raise additional concerns for regional security. Nevertheless, the removal of hostile language offers a slim opening for dialogue. The constitutional revision represents the most significant change to North Korea’s governing document in decades. Implementation details and practical effects remain to be seen. For now, the two Koreas exist as formally defined separate states under Pyongyang’s new legal framework.
