North Korea drops reunification goal in updated constitution

North Korea updated its constitution to officially define South Korea as a separate state and drop reunification.

North Korea has published an updated constitution that officially removes all goals of reunification with South Korea. The revised charter defines its southern neighbor as a completely separate state. This change formalises a major shift in cross-border relations.

• The changeNorth Korea published the revised constitutional text online to officially record the policy shift.
• The backgroundPyongyang previously considered the southern government a counterpart for national reconciliation rather than a distinct foreign adversary.