North Korea has rewritten its constitution to remove any reference to reunification with South Korea, a document circulating Wednesday shows. The revision locks in leader Kim Jong Un's policy shift toward treating Seoul as a permanent adversary, breaking with decades of official commitment to unification dating back to 1948.

The updated constitution, introduced in March and shared by South Korea's Unification Ministry, includes a new clause defining North Korean territory as bordering China and Russia to the north and "the Republic of Korea" to the south, using South Korea's official name.

The amendment also designates Kim Jong Un, as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, as North Korea's head of state. Previous language described the chairman as the country's supreme leader who represents the state.

The constitution formalizes Kim's authority over nuclear forces, stating that command of North Korea's nuclear arsenal rests with the State Affairs Commission chairman. It describes North Korea as a "responsible nuclear weapons state."

Political scientist Lee Jung Chul of Seoul National University, cited by Yonhap, said the new policy could form a basis for "peaceful coexistence" between the two Koreas. He suggested that the omission of a specific inter-Korean border indicates Pyongyang is seeking to avoid confrontation for now.

Pyongyang has adopted an increasingly hostile stance toward Seoul in recent years. Kim began shifting course in late 2023, calling South Korea the "main enemy," and later ordered the demolition of a major reunification monument in Pyongyang.

In January 2024, he urged a constitutional amendment defining South Korea as the North's "primary foe and invariable principal enemy." North Korea conducted four missile tests in April, the highest monthly total in over two years.

The North has also been drawing closer to Russia, sending troops and artillery shells to support its invasion of Ukraine.

Source: www.dw.com