Kim jong un crying when woman tells how she was abused
Executive summary
State media footage and international reporting show Kim Jong Un wiped tears at a public event in early December 2023 while urging North Korean women to have more children; outlets link the tears to appeals about the country’s declining birth rate and social policy [1] [2]. Commentators and analysts disagree about whether those displays are genuine emotion, stagecraft, or part of a broader political messaging strategy that North Korea’s leadership has used before [3] [4].
1. What happened on the video: a leader wiping tears while urging higher birthrates
Video distributed by North Korean state media and then reported internationally shows Kim Jong Un appearing emotional and wiping tears during a speech that included an appeal to mothers to raise more children and to address falling birth rates; Newsweek and Hindustan Times report the footage and link the tears to his remarks on declining fertility [1] [2]. Reports note the moment came during a meeting of mothers and was framed as an appeal to reverse demographic decline and to reinforce socialist parenting duties [1] [5].
2. How multiple outlets described and emphasized the context
Newsweek and Hindustan Times focused on the immediate subject: Kim’s tears occurred while discussing “the country’s declining birth rate” and urging mothers to play a patriotic role in raising children [1] [2]. Economic Times likewise described the speech as an “impassioned plea” to women to have more children and raise them as supporters of the regime’s ideology, underscoring state messaging about social duty [5]. These descriptions converge on the same context: a state-orchestrated forum about family policy and fertility [1] [5].
3. Competing interpretations: genuine emotion vs. political theater
Analysts and commentators disagree on whether the tears are sincere or performative. NK News explores how North Koreans interpret such displays — suggesting domestic audiences may read tears as a leader’s empathy, while outside observers are more skeptical [3]. The Spectator and similar commentaries argue the regime deliberately uses tears as part of a “playbook” to cultivate a paternal, family-man image and to stir popular loyalty, describing some displays as “feigned” or instrumental to propaganda [4]. Business Insider catalogs multiple prior instances of Kim publicly crying — at funerals and in other state media moments — which feeds debate over pattern: repeated emotional displays can be read either as personal trait or as political signaling [6].
4. Historical pattern: Kim’s public tears are not new
Reporting documents earlier occasions when Kim was shown crying, including at his father Kim Jong Il’s funeral and in other televised events; outlets note multiple prior instances that make this episode part of a pattern rather than an isolated moment [6] [7]. Some pieces suggest earlier footage was used to convey leadership vulnerability during economic crises, indicating the regime’s willingness to publicize emotional optics when strategically useful [7].
5. What this gesture aims to accomplish domestically and internationally
Observers quoted in the coverage say such displays serve several aims: to humanize the leader, to mobilize social behavior (in this case raising fertility), and to signal accountability for national problems such as demographic decline and economic hardship [3] [4]. The Economic Times and Newsweek highlight the policy aim — reversing falling birthrates and reinforcing socialist parenting norms — which suggests the tears were presented to support concrete policy messaging, not simply personal sentiment [5] [1].
6. Limits of available reporting and what is not found
Available sources do not mention independent verification from on-the-ground witnesses inside North Korea about whether Kim’s tears were spontaneous or coached beyond the state footage and official transcript excerpts (not found in current reporting). There is no public, verifiable medical or psychological assessment in these sources to say whether the tears were physically involuntary or an affectation; that detail is not reported [3] [4].
7. How to read these moments responsibly
Given the pattern reported by Business Insider and the interpretive commentary from NK News and The Spectator, the most evidence-backed reading is that state media released footage tying emotion to a policy plea and that analysts disagree about motive — genuine empathy versus propaganda [6] [3] [4]. Readers should weigh the footage itself, the official speech content about demographics, and independent skepticism about propaganda when judging what the tears signify [1] [5].
8. Bottom line
Multiple reputable outlets documented Kim Jong Un wiping tears while urging higher birthrates, and analysts present competing explanations: authentic emotion, strategic messaging, or both; the sources concur on the setting and the policy topic but diverge on motive and meaning [1] [3] [4].