North Korea Republishes Full Text of Revised Constitution... Identifies South Korea as "Southern Border Country"

Constitution republished after 2 years and 8 months... reflects “two states” policy
Reunification provisions deleted... references to “No. 1 hostile state” and “unchanging principal enemy” removed

North Korea has republished the full text of its revised constitution through an external propaganda outlet, about two years and eight months after deactivating the constitution section on its website. The constitution identifies South Korea as a “southern border country” and a “country bordering to the south,” and deletes provisions related to national reunification. The move is seen as an effort to promote North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s “two states” policy abroad.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired the 3rd Conference of Company Commanders of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Oct. 22 and 23 and delivered a speech on "Building a Strong Military in the New Era and the Duties of Company Commanders," the Korean Central News Agency reported on Oct. 24. Yonhap News Agency

The revised constitution, confirmed on Nov. 11 on the website of North Korea’s external propaganda outlet Naenara, defines the country’s territory in Article 2. It states that the territory consists of “the land bordering the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation to the north, and the Republic of Korea to the south, along with the territorial waters and airspace established on that basis.” It also includes the statement, “No infringement of the territory shall ever be permitted.” However, it does not specify the precise locations of the land and maritime boundaries.

References related to reunification, including “the northern half” and “national reunification,” have been deleted from the preamble of the previous constitution. The revised text also does not describe South Korea as the “No. 1 hostile state” or the “unchanging principal enemy.”

One interpretation is that North Korea sought to maintain its two-states policy while avoiding an escalation of tensions by including explicit hostile language or a specific maritime boundary in the constitution. When the revised constitution was disclosed last May, analysts likewise said its wording appeared designed to reduce militant language and emphasize statehood, projecting the image of a normal state.

This is the first publication of the full text in about two years and eight months, following North Korea’s deactivation of its constitution section. Naenara noted that the constitution was “amended and supplemented at the First Session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly on March 23, 2026.” It consists of a preamble, seven chapters and 168 articles, and largely matches the contents disclosed by the Ministry of Unification in May 2026.

The constitution was made unavailable after Kim Jong Un changed his policy toward South Korea. At a year-end plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea in late 2023, Kim defined inter-Korean relations as those between “two states at war.” In January 2024, in a policy speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly, he ordered the deletion from the constitution of expressions such as “the northern half” and “independence, peaceful reunification and national unity.” Naenara closed its constitution section in March of that year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.