Kim Jong Un Acknowledges North Korea's Declining Birth Rates

In a rare public acknowledgment, Kim Jong Un urges women to have more children amid concerns over the country's falling fertility rate.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly acknowledged a decline in the country's birth rates for the first time, urging women to have more children.
Kim's appeal was made during the country's National Mothers Meeting, the first of its kind in 11 years.
South Korea's government estimates that North Korea's fertility rate has been steadily declining for the past decade, standing at 1.79 children per woman in 2022.
North Korea has introduced benefits for families with three or more children, including preferential free housing arrangements, state subsidies, free food, medicine, household goods, and educational perks for children.
Experts speculate that the smuggling of South Korean TV dramas and movies showing an elevated social status for women may have influenced women in North Korea to have fewer children.