North Korea cracks down on abortion, contraceptives to drive up birth rate

North Korea is trying to boost its declining birth rate by punishing doctors who perform abortions and the people who sell smuggled contraceptives. According to the United Nations Population Fund, the country’s fertility rate dropped to 1.8 births per woman in 2023. A fertility rate of 2.1 is considered the minimum rate needed to secure a stable population.

Radio Free Asia cited an anonymous medical field source that said the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department of Paegam County hospital was put on trial for secretly conducting at-home abortions. The doctor was sentenced to five years in prison.

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Another doctor was given a three-year prison sentence for conducting at-home abortions.

The North Korean government has raised doctors’ salaries to between 80,000 and 180,000 won ($5-$11) per month to discourage earning extra money outside of their regular jobs.

A North Korean resident told Radio Free Asia that merchants who sell contraceptives are also being “punished in droves.” The resident said in August, three people selling contraceptives at a local market had their stalls confiscated and were fined.

Abortion and birth control procedures are both illegal in North Korea, but the restrictions have been known to be loosely enforced in the past.