TV presenter Ri Chun Hi, one of North Korea’s most recognizable faces, perhaps second only to Kim Jongun, was gifted a government villa this Thursday.
The “lady in pink,” used to breaking the news from nuclear tests to the death of a leader, became one of them herself as the regime’s official press announced Kim’s expensive gift.
In an Associated Press report, citing the official North Korean version, the head of state handed over the luxurious residence with a plea: Ri, 79, may continue to serve the nation with her voice.
According to the American agency, Kim’s “special treatment” towards his country’s elite is trying to increase his loyalty in the face of the pandemic and a struggling economy.
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According to the KCNA news agency, the Pyongyang government this week opened a luxury residential district in the country’s capital to “house people who have provided differentiated services to the state”.
North Korea often dedicates grand buildings on important dates and this Friday (15th) marks the 110th anniversary of Kim Il Sung who died in 1994 Kim’s grandfather and founder of the country.
The date is the most important holiday in North Korea, which has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family since its founding in 1948.
Pyongyang is North Korea’s flagship city, and its elite residents enjoy relatively affluent lives compared to those in remote rural areas.
Most North Koreans who have fled the country over the past two decades hail from their northern regions near the Chinese border, the Associated Press reported.