North Korea Publishes Constitution Defining South Korea as Separate State
North Korea published a revised constitution that abandons peaceful reunification, defines South Korea as a separate hostile state, and grants Kim Jong Un direct nuclear command.
The government of North Korea published the full text of its revised constitution on the Naenara state information portal on November 11, 2026. The updated document formally recognizes South Korea as a separate neighboring state and removes all previous provisions regarding the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula, institutionalizing a policy established by Kim Jong Un in late 2023.
Adopted by the Supreme People's Assembly on March 23, the amendments redefine the territory of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as extending from the borders of China and Russia in the north to the Republic of Korea in the south. The text strips references to national unity and frames South Korea as a permanent enemy, rejecting reconciliation efforts and a proposed peace regime from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
The revisions significantly expand the authority of the state leader. As chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Kim Jong Un now possesses direct command of the country's nuclear arsenal and the power to delegate nuclear weapon usage to the state nuclear command organization. Additionally, he gained the ability to veto parliamentary decisions and remove lawmakers.
These changes follow a period of escalating tensions, including ballistic missile tests in October and a September landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone. While the published text largely matches a version obtained by South Korea's Ministry of Unification in May, some sections regarding special courts and the Cabinet are missing from the public posting.
