Kim Jong Un’s Emotional Speech
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of North Korea emphasized the need for a higher birth rate and internal solidarity in socialism through an opening speech at the National Mothers’ Meeting. While party secretary Ri Il Hwan delivered his report, Kim was spotted wiping away tears with a handkerchief.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 4th, Kim, who attended the National Mothers’ Meeting held in Pyongyang for the first time in 11 years, said in his opening speech, “I greet you with the warmest respect for the mothers who have made a huge contribution to the growth of their children and the prosperity of the homeland by dedicating their heart and soul at this venue.”
Declining Birth Rates and Regime Concerns
Kim shed tears while listening to the meeting report by party secretary Ri Il Hwan. Analysts interpret this as a sign of concern over declining birth rates and potential regime instability in North Korea. The event seemingly encouraged women to address the low birth rate issue.
The Ministry of Unification, analyzing UN data from last October, reports that North Korea’s total fertility rate this year stands at 1.79. This figure falls short of the 2.1 threshold necessary for maintaining population levels. The total fertility rate in other low-income countries is 4.47.
North Korea is expected to see a population decrease from 2034. However, this figure is more than twice as high as the world’s lowest, South Korea’s total fertility rate (0.78 last year). The Ministry of Unification speculated that women’s sharp decline in birth rates and increased informal economic activities due to livelihood difficulties during the Arduous March (North Korean famine, also known as the “March of Suffering”) in the 1990s might be the cause.
Significance of the Meeting and Importance of Cultural and Moral Lifestyle
Kim expressed the critical role of mothers in society, highlighting the need for their involvement in various social issues. He emphasized the importance of mothers in nurturing children to carry on the revolutionary lineage, addressing non-socialist elements surfacing in society, and fostering family harmony and societal unity. Kim pointed to the necessity of establishing a healthy cultural and moral lifestyle, promoting communist values of mutual aid and leadership, curbing declining birth rates, and ensuring proper child upbringing and education.
He regarded the Mothers’ Meeting as significant as a party conference or the central committee’s plenary session. According to Kim, this significance stems from mothers’ critical role in family and societal contexts and the pressing issues they confront in the nation and its revolutionary journey.
Kim shared personal reflections, stating that he thinks of the mothers during challenging times with party and national projects. He drew strength and a sense of duty from the courage and dedication of mothers, describing it as a profound sense of responsibility.
Furthermore, Kim lauded the spirit and strength of mothers, emphasizing their impact beyond individual families. He credited them with being a vital source of nourishment for the nation’s future and a steadfast force in safeguarding the socialist family structure, marked by unity, virtue, and affection.
The Mothers’ Meeting as a Political Festival
Lastly, Kim characterized the Mothers’ Meeting as a political festival, underscoring its role in reaffirming the legitimacy and proud tradition of prioritizing future generations and mothers in their national endeavors.
North Korea held the 1st National Mothers’ Meeting in November 1961, followed by the 2nd in 1998, the 3rd in 2005, and the 4th in 2012. Reportedly, about 10,000 people, including Prime Minister Kim Tok Hun, attended this 5th meeting.
By. Kang Dong Ho
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