North Korea's new constitution deepens split with Seoul
Key takeaways
- Pyongyang's revised charter has dropped mentions of reunification with South Korea.
- The new constitution, distributed by South Korea's Ministry of Unification on May 6, contains four major changes:
- The shift contrasts with South Korea's constitution, which claims the entire Korean Peninsula and its islands as its own territory.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Pyongyang's revised charter has dropped mentions of reunification with South Korea. Experts say the changes boost Kim Jong Un's nuclear authority and could heighten the risk of future border disputes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Du8TKim announced the constitutional changes during a Supreme People's Assembly in March [FILE: March 23, 2026]Image: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement North Korea's amended constitution effectively removes references to reunification with South Korea and to a shared Korean national identity, formally framing Seoul as a "hostile state."
The changes, which leader Kim Jong Un had signaled at a Supreme People's Assembly in March, are a major policy departure for North Korea, which has technically remained at war with its southern neighbor since an armistice in 1953 halted hostilities in the Korean War.