North Korea Revises Constitution, Removes Reference to Reunification with South Korea

JAKARTA - North Korea (North Korea) added a clause about the country's territory and removed all references to reunification with South Korea (South Korea) in the revised constitution.

The move is seen as confirming North Korea's policy direction towards the concept of "two hostile countries."

Documents reviewed by Yonhap on Wednesday, May 6, show that North Korea defines its territory as a land bordering China and Russia in the north and South Korea in the south, including territorial waters and airspace around it.

However, the constitution does not specify the maritime boundaries that the two Koreas have been disputing in the Yellow Sea, especially around the Northern Limit Line that serves as a de facto maritime border.

In line with the policy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, all references to reunification were removed from the constitution.

Several terms such as "peaceful unification" and "great national unity" were also removed.

The new constitution also does not refer to South Korea as "the main enemy," unlike previous estimates after Kim Jong Un referred to South Korea as an enemy.

The document also removed references to the achievements of the country's founders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

North Korea first adopted a constitution in September 1948 and changed it five times before introducing a socialist constitution in 1972.

After 12 further amendments, the country revised the document again last March by removing the word "socialist" from its title.

Professor Lee Jung Chul, a North Korea expert from Seoul National University, said the constitution showed the isolated country's desire to present an image as a "normal" country.

He assessed that the revision was positive because it opened the ground for peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas and did not contain hostile language against South Korea.

The new constitution also increases the status and power of the leader of the country, namely the president of the state affairs commission.

For the first time, the post was designated as head of state and placed above the Supreme People's Assembly.

The new clause also gives the commission president for state affairs the authority to lead North Korea's nuclear forces, including delegating such authority.

The revision also revoked the authority of the Supreme People's Assembly to dismiss the president of the state affairs commission, thus eliminating the institution's formal oversight role.