When triplets are born in North Korea, the
state promotes the event as a “sign of prosperity,” showering both the parents and children a great number of gifts and
benefits. Among the public, however, the event is largely referred to as “the beginning of misfortune for the parents”
and not at all welcomed.
According to the North’s Party-run publication Rodong Sinmun, on January 16th, the country’s first triplets of the year were born at Pyongyang Maternity
Hospital , becoming the 448th trio in the nation’s
history. Averaging the total weight of the three babies [one son, two daughters],
the article noted that each weighed in at approximately 1.98 kg, the standard for triplets.
In relation to this news, a source in South
Pyongan Province told the Daily NK on Tuesday that people have been saying, “Now another mother will be unhappy.”
She explained that usually, expectant
mothers with triplets first receive examinations at local district hospitals
and then go for more detailed tests at the provincial women’s hospital. Upon confirmation of their pregnancy with triplets, prospective mothers are transported to the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital and
receive special attention and medical care at those facilities.
This special regard came about because
late founder Kim Il Sung once referred to triplets as an “omen of prosperity,” eventually prompting the designation of a specific department for mothers bearing three children at the hospital and a deluge of benefits and doting.
When the trio is born, girls receive gold
rings; boys, silver daggers, bequeathed from the top leader as part of the
North’s “gift politics,”–a concept dating back to 1977, when on the 65th birthday of Kim Il
Sung the state provided school uniforms and candies, the first “gifts,” to
children and students throughout the country to symbolize the mercy and
generosity of the leader. Since then, the concept has seen continued applications by both his son and grandson to foster loyalty and demonstrate “love for the people.” For triplets, this means purportedly
receiving a relatively steady stream of supplies and protection from the state
until graduation from elementary school.
The source explained that this support does
little to offset the burden of raising three children in impoverished
conditions. “If you have triplets, the state may help
you raise them until they graduate from elementary school, but starting from
age 11 in middle school, you’re on your own,” she said, going on to point that out that “it’s hard enough to raise one child, so for the parents who have to
raise three, it’s the worst.”
She added that the birth rate in North
Korea continues to tumble as residents struggle to make ends meet. “The state should stop simply promoting giving birth and create
stable living conditions through child-rearing policies,” she asserted. “Triplets may be promoted as
a sign of prosperity, but people feel bad for the mothers because they know it
will be the beginning of trouble.”
Unsurprisingly, the pervasive bribe culture in North Korea has found its way into this context: some women reportedly suborn
hospital officials to receive abortions if they are found to be pregnant with
more than one child.
