Kim Jong Un CRIES as he calls on North Korean women to have more children
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un cried as he called on women to have more children. He said it is their duty to halt the country's declining birth rate to strengthen national power, state media said.
In his apparently well-choreographed emotional plea, the authoritarian leader was seen dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief as he addressed thousands of women gathered at a National Mothers' Meeting in Pyongyang on Sunday.
Many in the audience openly wept with their leader at the event, the first of its kind in 11 years and which took place amid a decline in the isolationist state's birth rate.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said it is the duty of women to halt a decline in the country's birth rate to strengthen national power, state media said on Monday, as his government continued the call the people to have more children. .
While it is extremely difficult to get a detailed picture of population trends in North Korea due to the limited statistics the country makes public, the government of South Korea believes that the fertility rate in North Korea has increased over the past decade has steadily declined.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un cried as he called on women to have more children (pictured Sunday evening)
In his apparently highly choreographed emotional plea, the authoritarian leader was seen dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief as he addressed thousands of women gathered at a National Mothers' Meeting in Pyongyang on Sunday.
Many women in the audience (pictured) openly wept with their leader at the event, the first of its kind to be held in 11 years and taking place amid a decline in the isolationist state's birth rate.
That's a worrying development for a country that relies on a mobilized workforce to prop up its broken, heavily sanctioned economy.
“Stopping the decline in birth rates and providing good childcare and education are all our family issues that we must solve together with our mothers,” he said in his opening speech.
North Korea's total fertility rate, or the average number of babies expected to be born to a woman in her lifetime, was 1.79 in 2022, up from 1.88 in 2014, according to the South Korean government's statistics agency.
However, the decline is still slower than that of richer rival South Korea, where the fertility rate was 0.78 last year, compared to 1.20 in 2014.
It is believed that South Korea's fertility rate, the lowest in the developed world, is due to a powerful cocktail of reasons that prevent people from having children.
These include a declining job market, a brutally competitive school environment for children, traditionally weak childcare, and a male-centric corporate culture in which many women find it impossible to balance career and family.
Although North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world, the change in its demographic structure is similar to that in rich countries, some observers say.
According to South Korea's statistics agency, North Korea's total fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to give birth to in her lifetime, reached 1.79 in 2022, up from 1.88 in 2014 – a trend that clearly relates to Kim Jong Un and his government
Kim Jon Un shakes hands with women at the National Mothers' Meeting in Pyongyang on Sunday – the first time the event has been held in 11 years
The decline in birth rates is a worrying development for a country that relies on mobilized labor to prop up its broken, heavily sanctioned economy
“Many families in North Korea today also do not plan to have more than one child, because they know they need a lot of money to raise their children, send them to school and help them find a job,” says Ahn Kyung-su, head of the company. from DPRKHealth.org, a website focused on health issues in North Korea.
Ahn, who has interviewed many North Korean defectors, said the smuggling in of a vast amount of South Korean TV dramas and films over the past two decades that show elevated social status for women has also likely influenced women in North Korea not to do that. a lot of children.
North Korea introduced contraceptive programs in the 1970s and 1980s to slow post-war population growth.
The country's fertility rate showed a big drop after a famine in the mid-1990s that killed an estimated hundreds of thousands of people, the Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute said in a report in August.
“Given that North Korea lacks resources and technological advancements, it could face difficulties in revitalizing and developing its manufacturing industry if sufficient labor is not available,” the institute's report said.
According to reports in North Korean state media, the country this year introduced a series of benefits for families with three or more children, including preferential free housing schemes, state subsidies, free food, medicine and household items, and education benefits for children.
North Korea's population is expected to decline by about 2 million people by 2070
South Korea's statistics agency estimates the North's population at 25.7 million.
According to the Hyundai Institute report, North Korea is expected to see a population decline starting in 2034.
It predicts the population will decline to 23.7 million by 2070.
Ahn of DPRKHealth.org said Kim's repeated public appearances with his young daughter Ju Ae are likely part of efforts to encourage families.
However, other experts said her appearances are more likely an attempt to show that she is her father's heir.