North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, visibly emotional, addressed a large gathering of women at Pyongyang’s National Mothers’ Meeting, calling on them to contribute to increasing the country’s birth rate, which has been sharply declining.
During the meeting, Kim Jong-un, observed wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, appealed to the assembled women, stressing the importance of their role in addressing various societal challenges.
“Preventing a decline in birth rates and good childcare are all of our housekeeping duties we need to handle while working with mothers,” said Kim Jong-un, addressing the attendees as “Dear Mothers.”
He highlighted multiple tasks, including nurturing children to continue the nation’s ideals, eliminating non-socialist practices, fostering family unity, and establishing moral values, emphasizing these as collective responsibilities shared with the mothers.
“These belong to our common family affairs, which we need to deal with by joining hands with our mothers,” added Kim Jong-un, stressing the collaborative effort required to address these issues.
Despite the declining birth rate, certain North Korean neighborhoods have shown higher fertility rates compared to others.
The United Nations Population Fund reported the country’s average fertility rate at 1.8 in 2023, indicating a sustained downward trend over recent decades.
