North Korea’s first-ever quintuplets named to honor supreme leader

North Korea has reported its first known set of quintuplets.

According to a July 10 report by the Choson Sinbo, the mouthpiece of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, five babies — three girls and two boys — were born on Jan. 31 and discharged from Pyongyang Maternity Hospital on June 19.

The mother, 28-year-old Pak Kyong-sim, lives in Janghyon-dong, Moranbong District, Pyongyang. The father, Son Chung-hyo, 32, is a student at Pyongyang Commercial Service University.

The children were named Chung-jong, Song-ryong, Ta-jong, Ha-ryong and Ri-jong. Combined, the middle syllables form the phrase chungsong tahari, or chungseong dahari in the South Korean romanization style, meaning “we will give all our loyalty,” a reflection of North Korean society, where even children’s names are used to signal allegiance to the supreme leader.

“The birth of quintuplets — the first ever in Joseon — has become a widely talked-about event,” the newspaper reported, adding that each baby weighed around five kilograms (11 pounds) and was in good health.

The report referred to North Korea as Joseon, short for the full name of the country in Korean, which is the Joseon Minjujuui Inmin Gonghwaguk, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

“The survival and recovery of the quintuplets and their mother is considered a major medical challenge even worldwide,” it continued. “As this is the first known case of quintuplets in the country, the medical staff at Pyongyang Maternity Hospital had to overcome many difficulties.”

Facing a declining birthrate, like many other countries, North Korea has been promoting larger families and expanding welfare policies to encourage childbirth.

In the July issue of Geumsugangsan, a monthly propaganda magazine, Yang Song-il, director of the Population Research Institute of the DPRK, emphasized that the country is exploring demographic policy solutions to address population aging and proposing them to relevant authorities.

According to the interview, households with three or more children in North Korea receive special allowances.

Korea’s national statistics portal estimates that North Korea’s total fertility rate in 2025 will be 1.59 children per woman — higher than Korea’s estimated 0.65 — but still below the replacement level of 2.1, which the North is believed to have fallen below since the 1990s.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]