North Korea has amended its constitution to explicitly grant State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un command authority over the country's nuclear forces, officials confirmed. The revision also adds a new territorial clause, incorporating the so-called "two-state theory" into the constitution.
Lee Jung-chul, a professor of political science and international relations at Seoul National University, explained the changes at an expert roundtable held at the Government Complex Seoul on Monday. According to Lee, at the first session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly in March, North Korea added a constitutional provision stating that "command authority over the nuclear forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea rests with the chairman of the State Affairs Commission." This marks the first time Kim's exclusive command authority over nuclear forces has been enshrined in the constitution. The amendment also establishes a basis for delegating nuclear use authority to a nuclear command body in contingencies such as Kim's overseas visits, incorporating nuclear use procedures into the constitution for the first time.
Kim's "hostile two-state theory," proposed in late 2023, was reflected in the revised constitution by retaining the "two-state" framework while removing hostile language. Previous constitutional expressions defining inter-Korean relations as "hostile relations" or "belligerent relations" were deleted, and a new clause defining North Korea's territory was added instead. Phrases such as "national reunification," which presupposed that the two Koreas constitute a single country or people, have also disappeared.
Kim redefined inter-Korean relations as "hostile two-state relations" in late 2023 and then instructed the Supreme People's Assembly in January 2024 to create constitutional provisions defining territory, territorial waters, and airspace. This is the first time North Korea has added a territorial clause since it first adopted its constitution in 1948.
However, the specific scope of the territory, territorial waters, and airspace, including the Northern Limit Line (NLL), was not specified. "The moment such content appears, it creates points where the two Koreas cannot compromise," Lee said. "It can be interpreted as a form of ambiguity intended to avoid disputes."
Lee assessed that North Korea's addition of a territorial clause emphasizing separate statehood while removing hostile language "allows for a hopeful judgment that infrastructure for peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas could be established."
Kim's authority and status have been significantly strengthened. This is the first time the State Affairs Commission chairman has been positioned ahead of the Supreme People's Assembly in the North Korean constitution.
North Korea also changed the name of the constitution from the "Socialist Constitution" to the "Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" through this revision. Content related to the achievements of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il contained in the constitutional preamble, as well as aggressive expressions such as "revolutionary state," have also been deleted. "This appears to be a change aimed at projecting the image of a normal state," Lee said.
