North Korea drops reunification references in revised constitution, consolidates leader's power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves at a youth rally in Pyongyang on May 2, 2026, in this photo released by the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency the following day.

SEOUL, May 6 (AJP) - North Korea has added a clause newly defining its territory and removed all references related to reunification with the South in its revised constitution, according to the Ministry of Unification here.

In a press conference at the government complex in central Seoul on Wednesday, the ministry said North Korea has defined its territory as the land it shares borders with China and Russia to the north and South Korea to the south including its surrounding waters and airspace, instead of broadly describing the Korean Peninsula as a whole.

Despite leader Kim Jong-un's earlier declaration of South Korea as a "main enemy" under his "two hostile states" policy in January 2024, in which he no longer considers the South as brethren to one day be reunified with, the revised constitution stopped short of labeling Seoul a "primary foe."

But all references to reunification between the two Koreas, including terms like "peaceful reunification" and "national unity," have been eliminated from the constitution, dropping the achievements of his grandfather and regime founder Kim Il-sung and his father Kim Jong-il.

The constitution instead elevated the status and power of its current leader, designating Kim junior as "head of state" and placing him above the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the country's highest state organ, in the constitutional hierarchy.

A new clause also grants him sole authority over the country's nuclear forces including the power to delegate that authority. It further stripped the SPA of its power to remove him from office, effectively eliminating its nominal oversight role in state affairs.

Notably, the constitution also dropped socialist welfare promises seen as unrealistic such as "free medical care" and "a country without taxes" as well as more aggressive ideological references including "imperialist aggressors" and "liberation from exploitation and oppression."

In its list of those entitled to special state protection, which previously included "revolutionary fighters" and "honored veterans," it added "war heroes from overseas military operations," a phrase widely seen as referring to North Korean soldiers killed while assisting Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Pundits say the latest revision appears to be intended to project the image of a "normal country."

First adopted in September 1948, the constitution was amended five times before incorporating socialist ideologies in 1972, followed by about a dozen further amendments.