The 72-year-old female broadcaster is North Korea's most famous.

Making a comeback in her 70s to announce the hydrogen bomb test on January 6th, Ri Chun-hee is North Korea's most famous broadcaster and is also causing a stir in the international press.

Ri Chun-hee appeared on North Korean television reporting on the hydrogen bomb test on January 6. Photo: AP

A day after North Korea claimed the test was a hydrogen bomb, international media not only reported on the event and the assessments of experts and international officials regarding the accuracy of the information, but also paid special attention to retired broadcaster Ri Chun-hee, who was entrusted by Pyongyang with the task of announcing this news to the world.

"Meet the legendary North Korean news anchor, who returned after retirement to announce to the world the thermonuclear bomb test," headlined the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong.

"If there's any important news from North Korea, this is the woman who will announce it," Mashable emphasized.

"Who is the woman behind North Korean news broadcasts?" CNN asked. The British newspaper Daily Mail asserted that Ri Chun-hee was "the only woman North Korea trusts to deliver its most important propaganda." Similarly, Canada's Globalnews ran a large headline: "Returning from retirement, Ri Chun-hee appears on North Korean television to announce a hydrogen bomb test."

According to CNN, this famous North Korean broadcaster was born in 1943 and was an actor before joining the country's only television channel in 1971.

Known as the "people's announcer," she has been associated with state television screens for 40 years. Ri appears with a voice that fluctuates between low and high tones, dramatic and dramatic, to deliver all kinds of news, from sad news to stern warnings.

"With his powerful, captivating voice, was there anything Ri, then 65 years old, couldn't overcome to become the people's broadcaster and a hero of hard work?", North Korea's monthly magazine Chosun wrote in an article in 2009.

North Korean state media often respond to questions like the one above. The magazine recounted Ri's path to spectacular success, naturally, as being guided and nurtured by leader Kim Il-sung in "the embrace of love and trust."

Experts studying North Korean ideology believe that Ri is like a "jewel" of the state propaganda machine. Often dressed in traditional attire, Ri is the most trusted name to deliver important news from North Korea.

"She has a very powerful voice, the kind of voice North Koreans would say 'fills the screen'," said Kim Yong, a defector from North Korea who frequently appears on television in South Korea. "When I first came here, listening to South Korean broadcasters was like listening to parents whispering in their room. The broadcasters sometimes even stumble over their words, whereas in North Korea, that would never be allowed. They would be fired immediately."

Until her recent departure from the studio lights, Ri Chun-hee shared the hardships of North Korea with the people. She once wept while reporting on the death of leader Kim Il-sung in 1994, wiping away tears while filming.

She used a strong tone to reassure the North Korean people throughout the escalating tensions with South Korea in 2010, before once again breaking down in tears on television to announce the sad news of leader Kim Jong-il's death in 2011.

In 2012, Ri, then 69 years old, gave an interview to China's CCTV channel and announced her desire to retire from broadcasting. "There are now many younger, more beautiful, and more suitable female broadcasters to appear before the audience," she said.

She also revealed her professional secrets to the Chinese television channel. According to her, each presenter needs their own unique style to impress the audience. She also believes that it's necessary to use a variety of tones of voice, depending on the news topic.

"When reading 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea,' we shouldn't speak as if we're shouting, but rather speak to the audience gently," Ri shared. She then demonstrated her "gentle" tone with a New Year's greeting.

Her colorful voice has earned her many fans on the internet. In 2010, she briefly gained significant attention in China. But in the world of English-language news, this woman is best known for the intonation she uses when delivering truly impactful news stories.

"It was a voice brimming with hatred," asserted Brian Myers, an analyst of North Korean propaganda at Dongeso University in Busan. "It reminded me of what George Orwell wrote about the two minutes of hatred in his novel '1984.' It was a voice overflowing with contempt and rage."

Ri currently lives in Pyongyang with her husband, children, and grandchildren. "Ri, with a microphone in hand and blessed by our leader, stands alongside viewers today and looks no older than she did before she got married," wrote the Chosun newspaper.

According to VNE