A Translation of CCTV’s Interview with NK Anchor Ri Chun-hee

Over the holidays, China’s CCTV13 broadcast an interview with the face of North Korea, Ri Chun-hee (리춘희/李春姬). Ri, KCTV’s long-time nightly news anchor, is best known for her over-the-top, emotional delivery and the tears she shed on air when announcing the deaths of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Prior to Kim’s death last year, she hadn’t been seen in public for some time, leading Pyongyang watchers to wonder if she had been purged or had fallen out of favor. But as Ri herself explains, she merely had been training new talent the whole time. Below you’ll find the report (which includes some behind-the-scenes footage of the KCTV studio) and my translation of that interview. Apologies in advance for not being tech-savvy enough to overlay subtitles on a YouTube clip.

(Tip o’ the old hat to North Korea Tech)

CCTV Anchor: Up next we take you to meet an old friend from our line of work. She appears frequently on North Korean news broadcasts and wields a profound influence.

Reporter: Just beyond this door, we finally get to meet North Korea’s most famous news anchor, Ri Chun-hee. Hello, Mrs. Ri.

Ri Chun-hee: Hi, I’m thrilled to be able to meet a reporter from CCTV during the Lunar New Year.
　
Reporter: I’m also very happy. I have always wanted to meet you.

Ri Chun-hee: Is that so? Thank you.

Narrator: Ri Chun-hee believes that each broadcast should be special and that the audience should be able to notice the differences at a glance. The tone of the broadcast (播音方式) should match the content. Some stories should be read full of militancy (战斗性), while others should not.

Ri Chun-hee: (Take, for example,) when I say “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” If I just shouted that, there would be no feeling, and no purpose. It was like that in the past, but now our target is the audience and to reach them we have to present like we are conversing. We speak softly.

Narrator: When she heard this report would be broadcast during the Lunar New Year, Chun-hee recorded a special, impromptu, warm message for us.

Ri Chun-hee: Ladies and gentlemen, today is Lunar New Year, a traditional holiday celebrated by people in both Korea and China. KCTV will now begin broadcasting.

Narrator: The elderly Chun-hee seems friendly and delighted behind the anchor desk. Recently, though, she has slowly moved from behind the desk to backstage to train new people. With the exception of important broadcasts, she rarely appears in public so that younger people may have more opportunities.

Ri Chun-hee: These days, I don’t spend much time as an anchor. My younger colleagues look quite beautiful and are very young. On the screen, you need beautiful people.

Narrator: Lunar New Year is a holiday shared by both Chinese and Koreans. Chun-hee is very happy to face our camera lens and send a Lunar New Year message to the Chinese people.

Reporter: From Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, we wish everyone in China…

Together: A happy new year!

Ri Chun-hee: Thank you.