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Ri Chun-hee

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In this Korean name, the family name is Ri.

Ri Chun-hee
리춘히
Born (1943-07-08) 8 July 1943 (age 82)
Tongchon, Gangwon, Japanese Korea
Alma materPyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts
OccupationNews presenter
Years active1971–present
EmployerKorean Central Television
Known forLongtime chief newsreader for KCTV
Korean name
Hangul
리춘히
Hanja
李春姬
RRRi Chunhi
MRRi Ch'unhi

Ri Chun-hee (also romanized as Ri Chun Hee or Ri Chun Hui;[1] Korean: 리춘히, Pyojuneo: 이춘희 [ɾi tsʰun çi]; born 8 July 1943) is a North Korean news anchor for Korean Central Television (KCTV). She served as the network's chief presenter for decades and is known for her highly emotional and demonstrative delivery style, which has been described as passionate, aggressive, and menacing.[2] Though she announced her retirement in 2012, she has continued to present major national announcements, particularly those concerning the activities of Kim Jong Un and significant events like military parades and nuclear tests.

Early life and education

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Ri was born on 8 July 1943 to a poor family in Tongchon, Gangwon Province, in what was then Japanese-occupied Korea. She studied performance art at the Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts and was subsequently recruited as a newsreader by KCTV.[3][4]

Career

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Ri began onscreen work in February 1971.[5][6] She rose to become KCTV's chief news presenter and was a consistent on-air presence from the mid-1980s onward.[7] Her career longevity was notable in a field where demotions and purges were common.[7] Upon her retirement announcement in January 2012, she indicated she would work behind the scenes training new broadcasters.[8] The Daily Telegraph noted she had been "entrusted with announcing great moments in North Korean history".[9] American journalist Bob Woodward compared her to Walter Cronkite in his 2018 book Fear: Trump in the White House.[10]

Despite her retirement, Ri has been called back to announce major national developments. These have included the claimed hydrogen bomb test in January 2016;[11] a missile launch in February 2016;[12] nuclear tests in September 2016[13] and September 2017;[14] a missile test in November 2017;[15] the suspension of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests in April 2018;[16] and the June 2018 Singapore summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump.[17] On 15 April 2018, she also read a report that formally referred to Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, as "First Lady" for the first time.[18][19]

In 2022, Kim Jong Un gifted luxury houses in Pyongyang to Ri and other elites. State media broadcast a video featuring Kim giving Ri a tour of her new home, which she narrated. Ri later stated that the home was "like a hotel" and that she and her family "stayed up all night in tears of deep gratitude for the party's benevolence".[20][21]

Style

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Ri is known for her melodramatic style, employing an exuberant, wavering tone for praise and visible anger for denunciations. Brian Reynolds Myers, a scholar of North Korean propaganda, notes her drama training is evident in her performative delivery.[3] She famously cried while announcing the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994 and struggled with tears announcing Kim Jong Il's death in 2011.[22]

She typically appears in a pink Western-style suit or a traditional Korean joseon-ot, earning her the nicknames "Pink Lady" and "North Korean News Lady".[23][24] The Greek satirical show Radio Arvyla has used footage of her to parody Greek news.[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Makino, Yoshihiro (16 December 2011). "North Korea's 'People's broadcaster' missing". Asia & Japan Watch. Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013.
  2. ^ Madden, Michael (2010). Bermudez, Joseph S. Jr. (ed.). "Ri Chun Hui" (PDF). KPA Journal. 1 (10): 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2011.
  3. ^ a b Werman, Marco; Strother, Jason (8 December 2009). "The voice of North Korea". The World. Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013.
  4. ^ "북성명 때마다 '전투적인 그녀'". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Seoul. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015.
  5. ^ "북성명 때마다 '전투적인 그녀'". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Seoul. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015.
  6. ^ Herskovitz, Jon; Kim, Christine; Popeski, Ron (18 November 2009). "The face that launched a thousand North Korean tirades". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b Madden, Michael (2010). Bermudez, Joseph S. Jr. (ed.). "Ri Chun Hui" (PDF). KPA Journal. 1 (10): 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2011.
  8. ^ Hawkins, Derek. "North Korea's pink lady broadcaster once again serves up earth-shaking news with a smile". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  9. ^ Smith, Nicola; Riley-Smith, Ben (11 June 2018). "North Koreans finally told about Kim Jong-un's Singapore summit with Trump". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018.
  10. ^ Woodward, Bob (2018). Fear: Trump in the White House. Simon & Schuster. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-5011-7553-4. on September 9, 2016, ... North Korea had detonated a nuclear weapon ... Seismic monitors had instantly revealed that the vibrations recorded were not caused by an earthquake. ... Dispelling any doubt, North Korea's 73-year-old female version of Walter Cronkite, Ri Chun-hee, appeared on state-controlled television to announce the test.
  11. ^ Tavani, Andrew (6 January 2016). "Famed N. Korean newscaster comes out of retirement to anchor story on purported H-bomb detonation". Women in the World in Association with The New York Times - WITW. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016.
  12. ^ Demetriou, Danielle (7 February 2016). "North Korea launches missile in defiance of UN sanctions". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  13. ^ "What we know about Ri Chun-hee, the most famous woman in North Korea". BBC Newsbeat. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  14. ^ Ji, Dagyum; Hotham, Oliver (3 September 2017). "North Korea announces successful test of hydrogen bomb". NK News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  15. ^ "North Korea says new missile puts all of US in striking range". BBC News. 29 November 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  16. ^ "North Korea 'suspends' missile and nuclear tests". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018.
  17. ^ Smith, Nicola; Riley-Smith, Ben (11 June 2018). "North Koreans finally told about Kim Jong-un's Singapore summit with Trump". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018.
  18. ^ "Kim Jong-un elevates wife to position of North Korea's first lady". The Guardian. Seoul. Agence France-Presse. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Ri Sol Ju Attends Chinese Ballet Performance | North Korea Leadership Watch". www.nkleadershipwatch.org. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  20. ^ "North Korea's 'national treasure' TV anchor 'wept all night' after Kim Jong-un gave her luxury home". ITV. 14 April 2022.
  21. ^ Hyung-Jin Kim (14 April 2022). "Kim gives North Korea's most famous newscaster a luxury home". AP News. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  22. ^ Harris, Elizabeth A.; Mackey, Robert (19 December 2011). "The Lede: On North Korean State Television, News of the Leader's Death and Floods of Tears". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015.
  23. ^ "What we know about Ri Chun-hee, the most famous woman in North Korea". BBC Newsbeat. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  24. ^ Perper, Rosie. "North Korean state media's most famous announcer is a 74-year-old grandmother who Trump said should be on US cable news". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  25. ^ Radio Arvyla (27 January 2023). "Ράδιο Αρβύλα - Ο Κιμ απαγορεύει τις ερωτικές ταινίες - Top Επικαιρότητας (26/1/2023)". YouTube. Retrieved 6 October 2024.

Further reading

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