North Korea has removed references to peaceful unification with South Korea from the Workers’ Party charter, according to a full text released Thursday by Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy. The revised rules also strengthen Kim Jong-un’s authority while deleting references to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. The changes reflect Pyongyang’s view of the Koreas as two hostile states and add new party rules on wartime elections and membership age.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a party meeting to strengthen the politburo's power, Aug 25, in this photo released by Korean Central TV the following day. Yonhap
North Korea has stripped references to "peaceful unification" with South Korea from the charter of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the full text of the document showed Thursday, in line with Pyongyang's redefinition of inter-Korean ties as those between "two hostile" states.
The text, released by Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), is the first public disclosure of the charter in full.
South Korea's intelligence authorities have previously said the charter was revised in June 2024 to reflect the North's new stance, but the actual language had not been made public until now.
