Watch: Meet Ri Chun-hee, the 74-year-old who is North Korea’s most famous news broadcaster
The ‘Pink Lady’ is known for her signature style that brings news of dawn and doom with equal excitement.
“The test of a hydrogen bomb designed to be mounted on our intercontinental ballistic missile was a perfect success,” a chortling anchor declared on North Korea’s state television Korean Central Television (KCTV). Dressed in a bright pink traditional Korean dress, this is Ri Chun-hee, who has been the mouthpiece for North Korea’s government for many years.
Although she has retired, she is often called on by the government to be the face of major headlines. And when North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb, Chun-hee was chosen to deliver the news to the world (above). The 74-year-old “Pink Lady” speaks of the doom in her booming voice: “It was a very meaningful step in completing the national nuclear weapons program.”
She has served as the mouthpiece for three generations of North Korean leaders. In the past, she has announced nuclear tests, condemned the regime’s enemies and delivered news about the exploits of the country’s leaders.