North Korea has revised its constitution to remove all references to reunification with South Korea and label the South as a hostile state [1].
This shift represents a fundamental departure from the legal and ideological framework that has guided the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for decades. By erasing the goal of reunification, the government signals a permanent break with the South and a transition toward a more confrontational posture.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said, "North Korea has revised its constitution to remove all references to reunification with South Korea" [1]. The move formally codifies a new reality where the two nations are viewed as separate, opposing entities rather than two halves of a divided whole.
A statement from the North Korean government said the revised constitution defines South Korea as a "hostile state" for the first time [3]. This designation allows the regime to justify more aggressive military posturing and a total cessation of diplomatic efforts aimed at peaceful coexistence.
The change ends a policy that lasted for 70 years [5]. An academic at the South Korean Ministry of Unification said, "After 70 years, North Korea quietly dropped its longtime goal of Korean reunification from its constitution" [5].
This constitutional overhaul follows a series of physical and symbolic breaks. On Oct. 15, 2024, photos emerged showing the demolition of unused links between the two territories [3]. The removal of these links served as a tangible manifestation of the legal changes occurring within the government's founding documents.
The revised text moves away from the long-standing goal of reunifying the peninsula to signal a tougher stance [3, 4]. By redefining the South as a hostile state, the North Korean leadership is effectively abandoning the premise that the two states share a common national identity that must eventually be restored.
“"North Korea has revised its constitution to remove all references to reunification with South Korea,"”
The removal of reunification from the constitution transforms the conflict between the two Koreas from a civil division into a permanent interstate rivalry. By legally designating South Korea as a hostile state, North Korea removes the ideological barrier to more extreme military actions, as it no longer views the South as a population to be 'liberated' or reunited with, but as a foreign adversary.
