North Korea Revises Constitution to Define South as Separate State and Claims Its Territory

North Korea has tamped down its hostility toward South Korea in its recently revised constitution while maintaining leader Kim Jong-un's stance on treating the Koreas as two separate states, Seoul's spy agency told lawmakers on May 7, 2026. The National Intelligence Service made the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee. Rep.

Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party attended the session and relayed the agency's findings. "Although (North Korea's constitution) mentioned that (the North) will never tolerate any infringement on its territory bordering the Republic of Korea, there were no hostile remarks toward the South whatsoever," Park quoted the NIS as saying.

" The revised constitution does not describe South Korea as an enemy or a target to be taken down in the event of a war.

It makes clear North Korea's two-states stance toward South Korea, according to the National Intelligence Service. The agency assessed that North Korea is seeking to sever ties with South Korea but intends to maintain the status quo and manage the situation rather than adopting an offensive posture.

National Intelligence Service chief Lee Jong-seok attended a plenary session of the intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul the same day.

Seoul's unification ministry released the text of the revised constitution on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The document defines North Korea's territory as the land bordering China and Russia to the north and South Korea to the south, along with its adjacent territorial waters and airspace.

The constitutional revision reflects Kim Jong-un's policy shift unveiled in 2023 that regards South Korea as a separate country rather than a partner for eventual unification. Yonhap reported from Seoul on May 7, 2026.

Park Sun-won quoted the agency as noting the absence of language portraying the South as an enemy despite the explicit territorial reference.