(Photo: AP)
North Korea has revised its constitution to formally define its territory and remove all references to reunification with South Korea, Reuters reported citing a document. The move reflects leader Kim Jong Un’s push to treat the two Koreas as separate states.According to the agency, a new Article 2 states that North Korea’s territory includes land “bordering the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation to the north and the Republic of Korea to the south,” along with its territorial waters and airspace.The text added that North Korea “absolutely does not allow any infringement on its territory.” However, it does not specify the exact boundary with South Korea or refer to disputed maritime zones such as the Northern Limit Line.The revised constitution further designates Kim, as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, as the country’s head of state, replacing earlier language that described the role as the supreme leader representing the state.It also explicitly places command over North Korea’s nuclear forces under the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, formally consolidating control of the nuclear arsenal in Kim’s hands. A separate defence clause also described North Korea as a “responsible nuclear weapons state” and says it will continue to advance its nuclear capabilities to safeguard its survival, deter war, and protect regional and global stability.The revision, believed to have been adopted during a March session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, marks the first time Pyongyang has added a territorial clause to its constitution.Experts told Reuters that the changes align with Kim’s earlier call to define South Korea as the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy” and to formally separate the two states.Earlier in February, Kim said North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea… and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots”.”As long as South Korea cannot escape the geopolitical conditions of having a border with us, the only way to live safely is to give up everything related to us and leave us alone,” he added back then.While South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has offered talks without preconditions, Pyongyang has not responded and continues to describe Seoul as its “most hostile” adversary.The development comes amid heightened tensions, with North Korea ramping up missile tests and deepening military ties with Russia.
