All of the recent messiness in the Korean peninsula has been accompanied by brief clips of North Korean news broadcasts. And these brought to mind, for me and I'm sure for you as well, Ri Chun Hee, the anointed "Heroine of Labour" Nork mouthpiece who reportedly retired last year. Her legend remains. The Herald of the Hermit Kingdom for over four decades, Ri exclusively covered the Supreme Leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong II for the state agency, meaning she had to spend 40 years coming up with different ways to call her totalitarian bosses "really swell." That skill alone earned her lavish material gifts such as a functioning toilet and a Dodge Stratus.
Interestingly enough, Ri Chun Hee did not receive an education in journalism, but a degree in drama. And Chun Hee’s training paid off. Boy, is she fun to watch.
Here she is announcing a nuclear test:
And here she is, elated at a successful missile launch:
Here she expresses sorrow at the passing of a despot:
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the agony of each Supreme Leader's passing:
But a mystery remains. After some deep diving by this here blog, it's unclear if Ri retired, or if she is even alive. This profile of her aired in January 2012:
Months after Ri's reported departure, a video of a news anchor with a similar speaking cadence and hard enunciation went viral.
But this replacement—this video is dated September 2012—seems to lack the gravitas Ri brought to every single broadcast.
Could it be? Where is Ri Chun Hee?
Bonus Fake Kim Jong Il weather report: