(SEOUL) A TV news anchor in North Korea, who has been on TV screens for more than half a century, has been offered a luxury apartment by leader Kim Jong-un, reports Thursday state media.
Posted at 10:12 a.m.
Ri Chun Hi announced the most significant events in the history of North Korea over the past 50 years, from the death of the “founding father of the nation”, Kim Il-sung, in 1994, to the first test of nuclear weapon in 2006.
State media images show Mme Ri, 78, with Kim Jong-un at a riverside apartment complex in the capital Pyongyang.
According to North Korean news agency KCNA, the presenter thanked the leader, saying his house looked like a “hotel” and that his family had “stayed up all night crying with deep gratitude”.
Kim Jong-un told her she was one of the country’s “treasures” after working as a presenter “since childhood”.
North Korea announced the completion of an apartment complex before the 110and birthday, Friday, of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of Kim Jong-un.
Young Kim “initiated” the project to donate these homes to those “who have contributed to the prosperity and development of the country”, according to KCNA.
US and South Korean officials have warned that North Korea may be preparing for another nuclear test as part of the anniversary on Friday.
Pyongyang traditionally marks the key birthdays of important people in the country with military parades, major weapons tests or satellite launches.
This year, North Korea has conducted a series of missile tests that culminated last month with the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which could carry a nuclear warhead to the eastern United States.