The Mother’s Day holiday was introduced to North Korea after leader Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011. The date was designated as Mother’s Day in May 2012 by the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly but only became a public holiday and appeared on the North Korean calendar starting in 2015. It was omitted from the list of public holidays in 2019. 

November 16th became the designated date for the holiday, to commemorate the date of a speech North Korea’s first leader Kim Il Sung made in 1961, titled “The Duty of Mothers in the Education of Children.” 

“On the significant Mother’s Day every year, all the sons and daughters of the country extend warm congratulations to the mothers bringing up their children with their love, feelings and devotion and upholding the socialist country,” an article published on the state-run news agency KCNA on November 16th 2017 read. 

In 2016, Kim sent members of the country’s Socialist Women’s Union of Korea a gift package that included cosmetics, candies, cookies and an alcoholic beverage, Daily NK reported.