North Korea scraps references to unification, limits to Kim's powers in amended constitution

This article is by Chung Yeong-gyo, Michael Lee and read by an artificial voice. North Korea has removed all references to reunification with South Korea from its revised constitution, which now defines the regime's territory as limited to the area north of the inter-Korean armistice line and its borders with China and Russia. The amendments, adopted during the March session of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) — the North's rubber-stamp parliament — also significantly expanded the constitutional authority of leader Kim Jong-un by explicitly granting him command over the regime's nuclear forces. A new territorial clause declares that the territory of the North consists of land "bordering China and Russia to the north and the Republic of Korea to the south, as well as territorial waters and airspace established on that basis." However, the constitution notably avoids specifying disputed areas such as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea that Pyongyang has long rejected. Kim previously described the NLL as a "ghost line with no basis in international law" in statements carried by Pyongyang's state media. The territorial clause effectively formalizes Kim's increasingly explicit treatment of South Korea as a separate state rather than a partner in eventual reunification. At the same time, the omission of specific maritime boundaries preserves diplomatic and military flexibility. The revised constitution further lacks references to "peaceful reunification" and "great national unity" that appeared in previous versions. However, the constitution did not identify Seoul as Pyongyang's "primary foe," despite widespread expectations that it would do so after Kim's description of the South as "the most hostile state" in March. North Korea first adopted its constitution in September 1948 and amended it five times before introducing its current constitution in 1972. Before the March amendments, the document had been revised 12 times. "The North appears to have redesigned the constitution overall in an effort to project the image of a normal state," said Lee Jung-chul, a professor of political science and international relations at Seoul National University, during a briefing for the Unification Ministry press pool on Wednesday. Seoul's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has previously argued that South Korea should also consider accepting the North's statehood. The South Korean Constitution defines the entire Korean Peninsula as the territory of the Republic of Korea and treats the North as an entity to be absorbed through reunification. Lee said he believes the constitutional amendments passed by Pyongyang would lay the groundwork for "peaceful coexistence" between the two Koreas. Descriptions of the North as a "socialist state" were substantially reduced throughout the document, whose title was also changed from the "Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" to simply the "Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Also gone are many references to "imperialist aggressors" and grievances regarding past "exploitation and oppression" by foreign powers. The revised constitution further dropped the achievements of the late regime founder Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong-il, the current leader's father. In their place, the constitution emphasizes the "people-first principle," a governing slogan closely associated with Kim Jong-un. The amendments further bolster Kim's control over the regime's military. For the first time, the constitution explicitly hands command authority over North Korea's nuclear forces to the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, which is Kim's official position in the regime's hierarchy. A separate new provision stipulates that the chairman "may delegate authority to use nuclear forces to the state nuclear command organization." Lee said the clause likely establishes a legal foundation for delegating nuclear authority while Kim is ...