‘Kim Jong-un Era 2.0.’: North Korea drops reunification goal from party charter
North Korea has officially removed the goal of reunification with South Korea from its ruling party charter, signaling a shift toward treating the South as a hostile state. The revisions also consolidate Kim Jong-un's power, emphasizing his personal leadership over the legacy of his predecessors.
Why it matters
This policy shift marks a significant escalation in geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula and a major change in North Korean state ideology.
North Korea has formally removed its goal of reunification with South Korea from the charter of its ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, while expanding leader Kim Jong-un’s authority and further erasing references to the legacy of his predecessors.The revised charter, released in full for the first time on Thursday by South Korea’s Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), provides the clearest documentary evidence yet of Pyongyang’s shift towards treating the two Koreas as “two hostile states.”The document removes references to “peaceful reunification of the country,” “united front,” “South Korea,” “great national unity” and pursuing political goals on a nationwide scale.
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