North Korea has revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and to remove references to reunification, codifying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's push to treat the two Koreas as separate states, Reuters reports, citing a draft text, according to UNN.
Details
The amendment, likely adopted at a March session of the Supreme People's Assembly, Pyongyang's formal legislature, marks North Korea's first addition of a territorial clause to its constitution, Seoul National University professor Lee Jong-seok said at a South Korean Unification Ministry briefing on Wednesday.
According to the new Article 2, North Korea's territory includes lands "bordering the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation to the north and the Republic of Korea to the south," as well as territorial waters and airspace located over these lands.
The article also states that North Korea will "never tolerate any encroachment" on its territory, but does not specify the location of its border with South Korea or explicitly mention disputed maritime borders, such as the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea.
The revised constitution also designates Kim, the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, as North Korea's head of state, replacing previous wording that described the position as the country's supreme leader representing the state.
It also explicitly states that command of North Korea's nuclear forces is in the hands of the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, according to the text, formally placing authority over the country's nuclear arsenal in the hands of Kim Jong Un.
In a separate defense clause, North Korea is described as a "responsible nuclear state" and says it will promote the development of nuclear weapons to protect the country's rights to survival and development, prevent war, and protect regional and global peace and stability.
According to South Korean media reports, Lee said the lack of mention of a specific inter-Korean border suggests that Pyongyang may be trying to avoid immediately creating a new source of friction, even as it enshrines Kim's "two hostile states" doctrine into the country's supreme law.
Addendum
In January 2024, Kim called for constitutional amendments to define South Korea as North Korea's "primary foe and invariable principal enemy" and to state that North Korea's territory is separate from South Korea's territory.
In recent years, Pyongyang has pursued a more hostile policy toward Seoul, rejecting repeated offers for dialogue from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.