Ri began onscreen work in February 1971. She rose to become KCTV's chief news presenter and was a consistent on-air presence from the mid-1980s onward. Her career longevity was notable in a field where demotions and purges were common.
The Daily Telegraph noted she had been "entrusted with announcing great moments in North Korean history". American journalist
Bob Woodward compared her to
Walter Cronkite in his 2018 book
Fear: Trump in the White House. Despite her retirement, Ri has been called back to announce major national developments. These have included the
claimed hydrogen bomb test in January 2016; a missile launch in February 2016; nuclear tests in
September 2016 and
September 2017; a
missile test in November 2017; the suspension of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests in April 2018; and the
June 2018 Singapore summit between Kim Jong Un and
Donald Trump. On 15 April 2018, she also read a report that formally referred to Kim's wife,
Ri Sol-ju, as "
First Lady" for the first time. In 2022, Kim Jong Un gifted luxury houses in
Pyongyang to Ri and other elites. State media broadcast a video featuring Kim giving Ri a tour of her new home, which she narrated. Ri later stated that the home was "like a hotel" and that she and her family "stayed up all night in tears of deep gratitude for the party's benevolence". ==Style==