North Korea has made a major constitutional amendment, removing language related to "reunification" and clearly defining its territory as bordering South Korea, reflecting Kim Jong Un’s policy favoring the separation of the two Koreas.
Reuters reviewed the draft constitutional amendment and found that these changes were likely approved at Pyongyang’s Supreme People’s Assembly meeting last March. This marks the first time North Korea has explicitly defined its "territorial boundaries" in its constitution.
Professor Lee Jung Chul of Seoul National University explained that the new Article 2 states North Korea’s territory includes borders with China and Russia to the north, and with South Korea to the south, including relevant waters and airspace.
However, despite specifying general borders, the new constitution does not clearly delineate the boundary line between the two Koreas, nor does it mention disputed maritime areas, such as the northern maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea.
Additionally, wording regarding the leadership position was revised to officially designate Kim Jong Un, as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, as the head of state, replacing the previous term that described him as the supreme leader representing the state.
The amended constitution also explicitly states that control over the country’s nuclear forces rests with the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, reinforcing that Kim Jong Un holds direct authority over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
In the defense section, it states that North Korea is a responsible nuclear-armed state and will continue developing nuclear weapons to protect national survival, deter war, and maintain regional and global stability.
South Korean media further report that the absence of a clear border line between the two Koreas may reflect Pyongyang’s effort to avoid immediate new tensions, even as Kim Jong Un’s concept of two hostile states is enshrined as the country’s supreme law.
Earlier, in January 2024, Kim Jong Un called for constitutional revision designating South Korea as the country’s main enemy and emphasized that North Korea’s territory is completely separate from South Korea.
In recent years, North Korea has taken a tougher stance toward South Korea, rejecting multiple negotiation offers from President Lee Jae-myung, while its permanent mission to the United Nations has yet to comment on this report.
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