N. Korea drops unification goal, cements Kim as sole leader in revised party charter

North Korea has eliminated references to peaceful unification with South Korea from its ruling Workers' Party of Korea's charter, according to a full text released on Thursday. This change aligns with Pyongyang's new perspective on inter-Korean relations as being between two hostile states. The document, first disclosed by South Korea's Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), marks the first public unveiling of the revised party charter.

South Korea's intelligence agencies had previously informed that the charter was amended in June 2024 to mirror North Korea's altered stance, but the actual provisions were not made public until now. The released text also encompasses updates adopted at the Workers' Party of Korea's ninth congress in February. The revised charter bolsters the authority of leader Kim Jong-un, while erasing references to the accomplishments of his predecessors, the late founding father Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il.

This modification is widely perceived as a move to establish Kim Jong-un as the party's sole and unchallengeable leader. Apart from unification, the charter also omits references to the United States.