North Korea Revises Constitution to Remove Reunification References and Define Its Territory

North Korea has removed all references to “national reunification” from its constitution and newly defined its territory as the land bordering South Korea. The constitutional overhaul was published by South China Morning Post on 7 May 2026. It follows more than two years of revision after leader Kim Jong-un declared that inter-Korean ties should be redefined as those between “two hostile states” and ordered the change to be codified.

Phrases from the previous constitution that emphasised “independence, peaceful reunification, and great national unity” have been deleted. A pledge to “struggle to achieve national reunification” was also removed. References in the preamble to reunification-related achievements of state founder Kim Il-sung were removed from the North Korean constitution.

References in the preamble to reunification-related achievements of former leader Kim Jong-il were removed as well. The revised North Korean constitution introduces a territorial clause for the first time. Pyongyang took more than two years to revise the constitution after Kim Jong-un ordered the constitutional change to be codified.

The article detailing the changes was written by Park Chan-kyong. South China Morning Post reported that the move aligns with the North’s evolving stance towards Seoul, shifting away from reunification and towards a more formalised state-to-state relationship.

A North Korean military guard post and loudspeaker are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, alongside a South Korean military guard post.

The image, taken by AP, illustrates the physical divide that the new territorial definition formalises in law.