During the congress, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he always thinks of North Korean mothers whenever he encounters difficulties in running the affairs of the party and state, according to KCNA news agency today, December 4.
Mr Kim stressed the role of mothers in various areas such as helping to solve "non-social" problems and promoting social unity. "There are also the issues of preventing the declining birth rate and raising children well," KCNA quoted Mr Kim as saying.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the 5th National Mothers' Congress in Pyongyang, in this photo released by KCNA on December 4.
North Korea's total fertility rate, the number of children expected to be born to a woman over her lifetime, will reach 1.8 in 2023, according to data on the United Nations Population Fund website.
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea appeared to have held the congress to help address its low birth rate and urge families to do their part to strengthen the loyalty of young people to the country, according to Yonhap.
This is the fifth national mothers' congress in North Korea since the first one was held in November 1961. The last time North Korea held a national mothers' meeting was in 2012.
People listen to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un deliver a speech at the 5th National Mothers' Congress in Pyongyang, in this photo released by KCNA on December 4.
Earlier, the Rodong Sinmun , the mouthpiece of the Workers' Party of Korea, published an editorial calling on mothers to have more children as the country celebrates Mother's Day (November 16), emphasizing their duty to nurture "pillars of the future".
In April, the Workers' Party of Korea announced plans to award state awards and medals to women who give birth to many children, according to Yonhap.
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