North Korea announced that it has reviewed and adopted a National Law, which is believed to formally establish a two-state system with South Korea within its constitution.
According to the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly discussed and adopted the National Law on Thursday.
The newspaper reported that the Legislative Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly reviewed the basic contents of these draft laws. Based on the discussions, the Standing Committee unanimously passed decrees, including “On the Adoption of the National Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
While the newspaper did not disclose the specific contents of this law, it likely encapsulates the meaning and implications of North Korea’s new national identity.
Following its declaration of the two-state system between North and South Korea at the end of last year, North Korea has been working to eliminate concepts such as unification and ethnicity. Earlier this year, changes were observed in the national anthem, where the lyrics “My country, beautiful for three thousand ri”—a phrase referring to the Korean Peninsula—were altered to “My country, beautiful in this world.” Additionally, the term patriotic song was changed to national anthem.
Previously, Chapter 7, Article 171 of North Korea’s Socialist Constitution stipulated that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s national anthem was the “Patriotic Song.” However, it is believed that a constitutional amendment reflecting the two-state system between North and South Korea took place earlier this month, suggesting that the recent enactment of the National Law also serves to solidify this new policy direction by integrating the various changes made so far.
North Korea’s constitution includes laws related to national symbols, such as the Flag Law and Emblem Law, so it appears that the National Law was similarly enacted with a comparable purpose.