N. Korea claims to support women’s rights

By Cho Yun-myung

Published : March 8, 2018 - 17:09

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A North Korean media outlet said on International Women’s Day that social participation of North Korean women is active in the country.

The North’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Thursday that “what is mercilessly crushed when you don’t have enough money in a capitalist society are women’s rights.”

The article went on to say that North Korea’s “socialist regime” is where women are truly respected and their rights guaranteed.

An online propaganda medium also said Thursday that women in North Korea “truly contribute to society’s development” as representatives, scientists, artists and athletes “without any constraint or fear.”

North Korean female laborers are seen at a gathering on Tuesday. (Korean Central News Agency-Yonhap)

However, an editorial in Rodong Sinmun published on the same date asserted that “having and rearing many children is a woman’s duty,” implying that traditional perceptions of gender roles are still prevalent in the North.

In November 2017, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had expressed concern over longstanding gender stereotypes in the North. It had also urged North Korea to address the issue of domestic and sexual violence against women in the country.

North Korea has often boasted about the status of its women and denounced capitalist societies on March 8, International Women’s Day.

By Cho Yun-myung (yunc39@heraldcorp.com)

N. Korea claims to support women’s rights

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