Kim Jong Un might be one of the few world dictators who has been seen crying
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was recently seen crying on national television.
Kim was addressing the country's declining birthrate and imploring mothers to have more children.
The dictator has been seen crying in front of citizens multiple times.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen shedding a tear during a recent broadcast of a speech on state media, marking one of several times the dictator has cried in front of his citizens.
Kim's latest emotional moment came on Sunday during the country's fifth National Mothers Meeting — the first time North Korea held the event in 11 years, according to The Associated Press — in which mothers are honored for serving their husbands, children, and country.
This year, Kim addressed North Korea's declining birthrate and called on women to give birth to more children as a form of patriotic duty.
"Stopping the decline in birthrates and providing good child care and education are all our family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers," the leader said in his speech, according to the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state media.
North Korea's total fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to give birth to during her lifetime, declined from 1.88 in 2014 to 1.79 in 2022, the Associated Press reported, citing South Korea's government statistics agency.
There are multiple documented or reported instances of the North Korean dictator crying.
In 2011, Kim was seen with tears running down his face during a funeral for his father, Kim Jong-Il, according to Reuters.
There was also a 2018 report from Japan's Asahi Shinbun, citing a North Korean defector with contacts inside the country with knowledge of the situation, of a video of Kim crying over his inability to improve the country's weak economy and that high-ranking officials in the ruling party had viewed it.
Similarly, in 2020, Kim became emotional during a speech at a military parade that marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea because he felt his "efforts" were not enough for the country, according to a video from The Guardian.
Few dictators are known to have cried in front of their subjects. Even for leaders of democracies, crying in front of their constituents is a headline-worthy moment.
Stalin was rumored to be someone often on the verge of tears behind closed doors, according to a Kremlin maid. Russian President Vladimir Putin also was seen crying during his acceptance speech near the Kremlin in 2012, according to Reuters.
Read the original article on Business Insider