Kim Jong Un Sheds Tears in Public Plea for North Korean Mothers to Bear More Children
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently cried while giving a speech imploring mothers to have more children to address the country's declining birth rate.
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Kim has cried in public multiple times, including at his father Kim Jong-il's 2011 funeral and during 2020 and 2018 speeches.
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Few dictators cry in front of their citizens - it was even noteworthy when Russian President Putin cried during a 2012 Kremlin speech.
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North Korea's total fertility rate has declined from 1.88 births per woman in 2014 to 1.79 in 2022.
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Stalin was rumored to often be on the verge of tears behind closed doors, showing the rarity of public tears even among autocrats.