PYONGYANG / SEOUL — May 6, 2026 : North Korea has formally amended its constitution to eliminate all references to reunification with South Korea and, for the first time, explicitly define the territorial boundaries of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to constitutional excerpts reviewed by South Korean officials and international analysts.
The revisions, adopted during the March 2026 session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, codify leader Kim Jong Un’s policy shift toward treating the two Koreas as separate and opposing states rather than partners for eventual reunification.
The revised constitution, now consisting of 168 articles, was presented and discussed during a briefing by South Korea’s Unification Ministry on May 6. Officials stated that the amendments collectively establish a formal legal framework for what Pyongyang has increasingly described as a “two states” doctrine.
The constitutional overhaul reflects a broader policy change first outlined by Kim Jong Un in January 2024, when he declared that relations between North and South Korea should no longer be based on the concept of a shared nation pursuing reunification. Instead, Pyongyang moved toward officially defining South Korea as a separate and hostile state within its governing framework.
Analysts said the removal of reunification language serves multiple political and strategic purposes for North Korea, including reinforcing the regime’s national security posture, strengthening internal ideological control, and legally institutionalizing a long-term adversarial relationship with Seoul. By abandoning decades of official reunification rhetoric, the revised constitution formally redefines inter-Korean relations as relations between two distinct sovereign states rather than two parts of a divided nation.
Territorial Borders Formally Defined
Under the newly revised Article 2, North Korea explicitly outlines the territorial scope of the DPRK. The article states that the country’s territory includes the land “bordering the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation to the north and the Republic of Korea to the south,” along with its territorial waters and airspace.
The clause additionally states that North Korea “absolutely does not allow any infringement on its territory,” reinforcing the state’s position on sovereignty and territorial defense.
Analysts noted, however, that the constitution does not specify exact maritime boundaries with South Korea and makes no direct reference to the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea. The omission is viewed as a deliberate decision to preserve military and diplomatic flexibility regarding contested maritime zones between the two Koreas.
The amendment marks the first time North Korea’s constitution has included a direct territorial definition identifying South Korea as a separate neighboring state to the south.
Reunification References Removed
The constitutional revisions also remove all language related to inter-Korean reunification from both the preamble and the main body of the document.
The previous version of Article 9 had stated that the DPRK would “strive to reunify the country on the principles of independence, peaceful unification, and great national unity.” That article has now been revised, and all references to “peaceful reunification,” “great national unity,” “reunification of the fatherland,” and the term “northern half” have been deleted.
References describing the reunification achievements and policies of founding leader Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il were also removed from the constitutional text.
In addition, the preamble no longer includes the phrase “Kim Il-sung–Kim Jong-il Constitution,” reflecting a broader restructuring of ideological language within the document.
The revised constitution instead places greater emphasis on the “people-first principle,” a governing concept closely associated with the leadership approach of Kim Jong Un.
Expanded State Authority and Nuclear Command
The amendments further formalize changes to North Korea’s state structure and military command system.
Under the revised constitutional framework, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission — a position currently held by Kim Jong Un — is officially designated as the head of state, consolidating authority above the Supreme People’s Assembly within the state hierarchy.
New provisions also explicitly grant the Chairman command authority over North Korea’s nuclear forces. The constitutional text formally identifies the DPRK as a “responsible nuclear weapons state” and states that the country will maintain nuclear capabilities for purposes described as national survival and deterrence.
The inclusion of direct nuclear command authority in the constitution represents one of the most significant institutional changes contained in the amendments.
Policy Shift Formalized in Constitutional Law
The constitutional overhaul implements policy changes first publicly proposed by Kim Jong Un in January 2024, when he called for revising the constitution to define South Korea as a separate and hostile state rather than a counterpart for national reunification.
That policy direction marked a major departure from decades of official North Korean rhetoric emphasizing ethnic unity and eventual reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean officials and regional analysts said the constitutional changes formally institutionalize that shift at the highest legal level of the North Korean state.
The Unification Ministry in Seoul stated that the revised text establishes a clear legal basis for Pyongyang’s evolving approach toward inter-Korean relations, while maintaining strategic ambiguity on unresolved military and territorial disputes.
North Korean state media has not released the full amended constitution publicly, and no official statement has been issued by Pyongyang detailing the complete scope or implementation timeline of the revisions beyond confirmation that they were adopted during the March Supreme People’s Assembly session.
——— End of Article ———
