ⓒ YONHAP News

Some people may recognize her voice. She is Ri Chun-hee, the most famous state TV anchor in North Korea. Some foreign media agencies call her the “Pink Lady” as she often wears a pink, traditional Korean dress. For South Koreans, Ri is probably the person that first comes to mind when thinking of North Korean news presenters. While Ri is North Korea’s representative newsreader, it is said that North Korean newscasters have changed their style a lot in recent years. 

Today, we’ll learn about how North Korean news anchors have changed from Kim Seung, adjunct professor of the Department of Digital Culture and Contents at Konkuk University. 

Ri Chun-hee has appeared at a rather unexpected place recently. She was seen at an inauguration ceremony for the Pothong riverside terraced residential district in Pyongyang on April 13, two days before the 110th birthday of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung. 

Luxurious houses in the district were presented to Ri and other people who have given distinguished service to the state. Ri is very familiar to South Korean people, as she has announced North Korea’s major events, including the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 and the death of former leader Kim Jong-il in 2011.  

Ri was once rumored to have retired, but she has made occasional appearances for important announcements. In September 2017, she read leader Kim Jong-un’s statement that criticized then-U.S. President Donald Trump in strident language, calling him a lunatic old man. 

Ri has served as North Korea’s top state TV news anchor for five decades. 

Ri delivers news in a very convincing way, despite her old age, with her own unique announcing style characterized by a serious and aggressive tone. She is second to none in terms of appeal and delivery that commands attention. During a military parade in September last year, she watched the event right next to leader Kim Jong-un, put her hand on his shoulder and whispered to him. Physical contact with the top leader is a big issue in North Korea, reflecting Ri’s close ties with the leader. 

North Korea has actively used broadcasters for promoting and defending the regime. The country’s founder Kim Il-sung dispatched broadcasters to war zones during the Korean War. Even when South Korean and U.N. troops captured Pyongyang, North Korean broadcasters continued with propaganda and agitation on the front line. 

North Korea focused on propaganda and agitation from its early years. Even before its state system was fully established, it set up a film studio for propaganda activities. North Korea was keenly aware of the role of broadcasting during the Korean War. That’s why it actively deployed broadcasters during the war to promote the communist regime and disseminate revolutionary optimism among the public. Broadcasters have since played a role of bugler for propaganda. 

North Korean TV stations include the Mansudae Television, the Ryongnamsan Television, the Athletic Television and the Korean Central Television. 

The Korean Central Television was formally launched in 1963 as Pyongyang Broadcasting Network. It is the only official source of television news for North Korean people. Only a small number of newscasters work there, and would-be news presenters should go through a fierce competition. 

The Korean Central Television switched to high-definition broadcasting in December 2017, when North Korean broadcasts began to approach international standards. The TV station has introduced new filming techniques using drones and various functions of the camera as well as 3D computer graphics that had never been found before.  

In the past, newscasters would sit and simply read news stories in the studio. In a major shift, however, journalists are often dispatched to the scene now. When North Korea was hit by typhoons such as Bavi, Maysak and Haishen one after another in 2020, the Korean Central Television interrupted its regular broadcasts for the first time ever and reported disaster scenes instead, almost in real time. 

At the time, a number of news anchors were sent to the regions hit by the typhoons. Some entered flooded roads and reported the scene, with the strong wind turning their umbrella inside out. 

The scene of North Korean broadcasters soaked in a rainstorm had hardly been seen before. 

When a typhoon was approaching North Korea in 2020, the Korean Central TV launched a 24-hour-a-day broadcast. Broadcasters were sent to typhoon-stricken areas for field reporting to deliver related news on the spot. Although the news program was one hour behind, the North Korean TV station delivered the disaster news pretty quickly, almost in real time. The noticeable change is definitely worth mentioning and even exceptional for the socialist North. Previously, North Korean TV was reluctant to show the embarrassing scenes of flood-hit areas. Unlike in the past, however, it focuses more on the safety of the people than on national pride. The Kim Jong-un-style experiment is being expanded to the broadcasting scene, too. 

When the Korean Central TV broadcast a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Worker’s Party in October 2020, newscasters were positioned in each section of convoys of vehicles to report the scene. 

It is very unusual that journalists were dispatched to such a large-scale event where a huge crowd gathered around. 

In North Korea, a military parade is a grave political event that demonstrates the country’s armed forces both internally and outwardly. By letting journalists report the important occasion on the scene, the state TV delivered the vivid and energetic atmosphere of the event, staying away from the typically rigid style of presenting news. It seems North Korea changed the previous broadcasting format in a strategic move to appeal to more people. 

As North Korea included in-the-field reporting frequently, talented and popular newscasters began to draw public attention, like celebrities. In South Korea, those who host shows with entertainment are referred to as “anatainer,” a compound word of announcer and entertainer. North Korean news anchor Kim Song-gwang is one of the so-called “anatainers.” In contrast to his sharp image as a newsreader, he casually talks with a local resident who plans to send his dog to a show for Pungsan-breed dogs. 

Kim creates an amicable atmosphere wherever he goes. 

This is Choi Hyo-song saying hi to a parrot at a zoo. He is one of the most popular anchors in North Korea. He is well known to men and women of all age groups, thanks to his great looks and witty words that amuse the audiences in any program. He served as a North Korean host for a joint performance by South and North Korean musicians in Pyongyang in April 2018. 

When talking about popular young news presenters in North Korea, Kim Un-jong should not go unmentioned. The former actress performed the role of the daughter of a heroine in a 2009 art film titled Lifeline. It is quite unconventional for an actress to turn into a newscaster in North Korea, where it is not easy to switch jobs. She has appeared not only on news programs but on various other shows as well. She was once seen to skim off the foam on the boiling soup, with her apron on, to assist a chef during a cooking show. 

When the Yangdok Hot Spring Resort opened, Kim soaked herself in the bath to show how wonderful it is to relax in a hot spring. North Korean anchorwomen usually wear traditional Korean clothes of hanbok or Western suits. But her lacy, red purple one-piece dress caught the eyes of viewers, signaling a departure from the old practice 

In this way, North Korean newsreaders, as “anatainers,” are taking the lead in bringing about a change in the local broadcasting scene. 

The emergence of the North Korean version of “anatainers” shows that the North seeks to focus more on the general public and get closer to the people. This is one of the remarkable changes in the Kim Jong-un era. 

North Korean broadcast programs strictly control ambient noise, which is usually replaced by pre-set background music, narration or sound effects. But these days, broadcasters report in the field frequently in various programs, delivering what’s happening on the scene just the way it is. Changes have been made gradually since Kim Jong-un took power. I think we need to keep a close watch on the changes that are wide-ranging now.  

When delivering news lately, the Korean Central TV often indicates the names of people in charge of the report, reflecting public interest in individual newscasters or reporters. 

Apparently, North Korean broadcasting formats have diversified, while the role of news presenters has changed significantly. We’ll have to wait and see whether and how these changes may influence the country’s broadcast content.