North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un cried as he called on women to have more children, saying that it was their duty to halt the country’s declining birth rate in order to strengthen national power.
During a National Mothers’ Meeting in Pyongyang, Kim was observed wiping tears with a handkerchief in what appeared to be a carefully orchestrated emotional address to a large gathering of women.
Expressing the urgency to address the diminishing birth rates, Kim stated, “Reversing the downward trend in birth rates and ensuring quality childcare and education are collective familial responsibilities that we must tackle together with our mothers.”
Reports from South Korea’s government indicate a continual decline in North Korea’s fertility rate over the past decade.
In 2022, the average number of children expected per woman dropped to 1.79 from 1.88 in 2014. Comparatively, South Korea faced a sharper decline, with a birth rate of 0.78 in the past year, down from 1.20 in 2014.
Mr Kim’s tearful appeal is in marked contrast to birth control programmes introduced by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s to slow a post-war growth in population.
South Korea’s statistics agency estimates the North’s population is currently at 25.7 million.
The Hyundai institute report said North Korea’s population was expected to shrink from 2034 and drop to 23.7 million by 2070.
North Korean state media reports the country has introduced benefits for families with three or more children.
These include preferential free housing arrangements, state subsidies, free food, medicine and household goods alongside educational perks for children.