North Korea removes references to peaceful reunification from party charter

North Korea has removed references to "peaceful reunification” with South Korea from the charter of the ruling Workers' Party, further formalizing Pyongyang's shift away from its longstanding goal of reunifying the Korean Peninsula. The change was revealed after the South Korean Institute for National Security Strategy published an analysis of the updated document. The revised charter also eliminates references to "great national unity,” a "single front,” and South Korea itself. The changes reinforce North Korea's increasingly explicit position that the two Koreas should be treated as separate states rather than parts of a single nation awaiting reunification. The revisions reflect a broader transformation in Pyongyang's approach to inter-Korean relations under Kim Jong Un. North Korean authorities have increasingly abandoned terminology associated with reconciliation and cooperation with Seoul while portraying South Korea as a separate and hostile state. The shift has also been accompanied by changes in official rhetoric, military policy, and state propaganda.