North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced on the 2nd that he plans to initiate a constitutional amendment through the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
This amendment is expected to include the removal of the terms “unification” and “nation” from the constitution, as announced earlier this year, and the designation of South Korea as a hostile nation.
According to a report by Rodong Sinmun, Kim announced at the 10th plenary session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, held from last month to the previous day, “The Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly will revise the socialist constitution and elevate the status of the nation.”
In North Korea, the power to amend the constitution resides with the Supreme People’s Assembly. Since the Supreme People’s Assembly is typically convened to endorse the outcomes of the plenary session, it is anticipated that the amendment process will commence if the assembly meets soon.
Kim had outlined the direction for the amendment earlier this year. On January 15, during the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly, he stated that the constitution should reflect a fundamental shift in the South-North relationship to a hostile two-state relationship. He also indicated that terms such as independence, peaceful unification, and national unity in the constitution should be removed.
In other words, he plans to formalize the forceful unification stance by defining South Korea not as a unification counterpart but as the main enemy. Notably, Kim, who denied the Northern Limit Line (NLL), directed that the political and geographical definitions of territory, territorial waters, and airspace be included in the constitution. This amendment is expected to serve as a foundation for future local provocations and territorial disputes.
The specific amendment bill is expected to be disclosed during the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, as indicated by Kim. A government official from the Ministry of Unification said, “It is likely that the amendment bill will be revealed when the Standing Committee submits it to the Supreme People’s Assembly. That is given the mention of the constitutional amendment at the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly.”
The Yoon Suk Yeol government is also responding to North Korea’s hostile line shift. It is predicted that the National Community Unification Plan will be revised to reflect the current Korean Peninsula and international situation and will be announced around August 15–South Korea’s Liberation Day. It is known that the main goal is to pursue unification under a free democratic system by improving the human rights of North Koreans and securing freedom. It is interpreted as a counteraction to North Korea, which has revealed its intention for forceful unification.
