In an emotional address during the Fifth National Conference of Mothers in Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un implored women to play a pivotal role in reversing the decline in the birthrate.
The dictator visibly moved and wiped away tears with a white handkerchief as he addressed an audience, urging them to consider raising their children as communists.
North Korea’s Demographic Crossroads
“Stopping the decline in birthrates and providing good child care and education are all the family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers,” Kim Jong Un stated passionately during the conference.
He emphasized that addressing the decline in birthrates and ensuring quality childcare were shared responsibilities that North Korean families needed to handle collectively. The Supreme Leader delved into “housekeeping duties,” urging women to fulfill their responsibilities and strengthen national power by having more children.
Kim Jong Un emphasized the need for mothers to approach their duties with confidence and optimism, envisioning a socialist and communist society shortly.
“All mothers should fulfill their responsibility and duty assumed before society and families with confidence in and optimism about the prospects of our socialist construction and a changed ideal society to come shortly,” Kim Jong Un declared.
He stressed that mothers bear the heavy mission of raising children who will become pillars of socialist and communist construction and masters of the future society.
North Korea has faced a decline in birth rates, with the United Nations Population Fund estimating a fertility rate of 1.8 as of 2023.
This figure represents the average number of children born to a woman. The prolonged fall in birthrates aligns with a global trend, but Kim Jong Un is determined to reverse this pattern in North Korea.
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Kim Jong Un’s Vision
While the country is grappling with economic challenges and is among the world’s poorest nations, observers note similarities in its changing demographic structure to wealthier nations.
Families in North Korea, similar to those in more affluent countries, are becoming cautious about having more than one child due to financial considerations. The emotional appeal from Kim Jong Un reflects a broader concern about the demographic future of North Korea.
As neighboring countries implement government incentive programs to encourage larger families, the North Korean leader is relying on the commitment and optimism of mothers to shape the nation’s next generation.
The emotional resonance of Kim Jong Un’s address underscores the gravity with which the country views its demographic challenges and the role of mothers in overcoming them.
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