North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Tearfully Appeals For A Boost In Falling Birth Rates

In a recent public appearance, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, made an emotional call to the women of his nation to raise the country’s falling birth rates.

What Happened: As reported by The Telegraph on Tuesday, Kim was seen shedding tears during his speech at a National Mothers Meeting in Pyongyang, a first-of-its-kind event to be held in 11 years, triggered by the alarming decrease in birth rates in North Korea.

The South Korean government’s analysis shows that North Korea’s fertility rate has been witnessing a consistent drop over the last ten years. This poses a serious concern for a regime that is largely dependent on manual labour and military service. Kim’s public recognition of the issue marks a first for the North Korean leadership.

Collin Rugg, co-owner of Trending Politics shared a video of the event on X, formerly Twitter, where Kim is seen dabbing his eyes during the event.

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According to the data from the United Nations Population Fund and the World Bank, North Korea’s fertility rate has hovered around 1.79-1.8 children per woman since 2020. While this is a substantial drop from the peak of 4.05 in the late 1960s, it is still more than twice that of South Korea, which reported a record low of 0.78 last year.

Kim urged mothers to teach “socialist virtues” to their children and foster loyalty to the ruling party. He further cautioned parents to protect the youth from foreign influence and to rectify any “bad behaviour” by having them perform hard labour for the state.

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