Kim Jong Un is asking for the women in North Korea to have more children to stop the country’s declining birth rates and to “strengthen” its national power.
On Sunday, the North Korean leader declared during the country’s first National Mothers’ Meeting in 11 years. He explained during the meeting that it was essential to stop the declining birth rate as “providing good childcare and education are all our family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers.” He said the following day that the challenge is “everyone’s housekeeping,” as reported by Sky News.
Although accurate data on North Korea’s population is scarce, the South Korean government said the country’s fertility rate has declined for the past ten years; a leading contributor could’ve been a deadly famine from the mid-1990s that affected the population after killing hundreds of thousands of people state by the Hyundai Research Institute.
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“Given North Korea lacks resources and technological advancements, it could face difficulties to revive and develop its manufacturing industry if sufficient labour forces are not provided,”
Families in North Korea are reportedly not having more children due to the high costs of schools and constant health issues. However, the state said they were implementing more affordable options for families of three.
Other factors include food insecurity, limited job options, delayed marriage, and government policies.