The 72-year-old most famous female announcer in North Korea

Reappearing at the age of over 70 to announce the thermonuclear bomb test on January 6, Ms. Ri Chun-hee is the most famous announcer in North Korea, and is also causing a "storm" in the international press.

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

One day after North Korea tested a weapon that it claimed was a thermonuclear bomb, the international press not only reported on the event and the opinions of international experts and officials on the authenticity of the information, but also paid special attention to retired announcer Ri Chun-hee, who was entrusted by Pyongyang with the responsibility of announcing the news to the world.

"Meet North Korea's legendary news anchor, who returns from retirement to tell the world about a hydrogen bomb test," headlined Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

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

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

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

Known as the “people’s announcer,” she has been on state television for 40 years. Ri appears in a dramatic voice, sometimes deep, sometimes high, to announce everything from sad news to warning messages.

"With her powerful, charismatic voice, is there anything that the then 65-year-old Ri couldn't overcome to become the people's announcer and hero of hard work?" North Korea's monthly magazine Chosun wrote in a 2009 article.

North Korean state media often responds to questions like these. The magazine has told of Ri's path to great success and, of course, being guided and nurtured in the "arms of love and trust" by leader Kim Il Sung.

Experts on North Korean ideology say Ri is a "jewel" in the state propaganda machine. Often dressed in traditional dress, Ri is the most trusted person to deliver important news from North Korea.

“She has a very powerful voice, a voice that North Koreans would say ‘fills the screen,’” said Kim Yong, who defected to North Korea and often appears on television in South Korea. “When I first came here, listening to South Korean newscasters was like listening to my parents whispering in their rooms. The newscasters sometimes stumble over their words, while in North Korea that would never be allowed. They would be fired immediately.”

Until recently, when she stepped away from the spotlight, Ri Chun-hee had been with North Koreans through some tough times. She cried when she reported the death of leader Kim Il-sung in 1994, wiping away tears as she recorded.

She used a strong tone to reassure North Koreans during escalating tensions with South Korea in 2010, before crying again on television to announce the sad news of leader Kim Jong-il's death in 2011.

In 2012, Ri, then 69, gave an interview to China's CCTV, announcing that she wanted to retire. "There are now many young and beautiful female news anchors who are more suitable to appear before the audience," she said.

She also revealed to the Chinese TV channel the secrets of her profession. According to her, each presenter needs to have his or her own style to impress the audience. She also believes that different tones should be used, depending on the news topic.

“When reading the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, we should not speak as if we are shouting, but speak to the audience softly,” Ri said. She then demonstrated her “soft” tone with a New Year’s greeting.

Her colorful voice has earned her a following online, and she briefly gained attention in China in 2010. But in the English-language news world, she is best known for the intonation she uses when delivering truly weighty news.

"It was a voice filled with rage," said 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 hate in '1984.' It was a voice filled with contempt and anger."

Ri now lives in Pyongyang with her husband, children and grandchildren. "Ri, with a microphone in her hand and the blessing of our leader, is still standing by the audience today and looks no older than before she got married," Chosun wrote.

According to VNE