Ri Ul-sol

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In this Korean name, the family name is Ri.
Ri Ul-sol
Commander of the Supreme Guard Command
In office
February 1996 – 2003
LeaderKim Jong Il
Member of the National Defence Commission
In office
February 1990 – 2003
LeaderKim Jong Il
Personal details
Born(1921-09-14)14 September 1921
Songjin, Kankyōhoku-dō, Japanese-ruled Korea
Died7 November 2015(2015-11-07) (aged 94)
Pyongyang, North Korea
Awards
Military service
AllegianceNorth Korea
Branch/serviceKorean People's Army
Years of service1930s–2004
RankMarshal
Battles/wars
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
리을설
Hancha
李乙雪
Revised RomanizationI Eulseol
McCune–ReischauerRi Ŭlsŏl

Ri Ul-sol (Korean: 리을설; 14 September 1921 – 7 November 2015) was a North Korean politician and military official. He played an important role in the administrations of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, achieving the rank of marshal of the Korean People's Army. He was responsible for the safety of top North Korean leaders and their families as Commander of the Guard.

Early life and education[edit]

Ri Ul-sol was born in 1921 in Songjin, North Hamgyong Province.[1]

He may have been trained at the Okeanskaya Field School in Vladivostok or in the RKKA Military Academy in Khabarovsk, both in the Soviet Union.[1]

Military career[edit]

In the late 1930s, Ri was a soldier in Kim Il Sung's United Army, which was a partisan unit.[1] He fought for Korea's independence from Japan alongside Kim Il Sung in World War II.[2] Ri served in the 88th Sniper Brigade with Kim Il Sung, Kim Chol-man and other first-generation North Korean politicians.[3] During the outbreak of the Korean War, Ri Ul-sol was responsible for the care of Kim Jong Il and Kim Kyong-hui, the children of Kim Il Sung.[4] It is said that Ri assumed the position of surrogate father to Kim Jong Il, the future North Korean leader.[1]

He was promoted through the North Korean military system, earning the following ranks:[1]

Rank/position Date promoted Unit
Regiment Commanding Officer August 1948 (unknown regiment)
Chief of Staff July 1950 4th Division, Korean People's Army
Commanding Officer April 1951 3rd Regiment, 15th Division, Korean People's Army
Major General March 1957 Korean People's Army
Division Commander March 1957 (unknown division)
Lieutenant General October 1962 Korean People's Army
Commanding Officer October 1962 5th Army Corps, Korean People's Army
Commanding Officer March 1968 1st Army Corps, Korean People's Army
Colonel General February 1972 Korean People's Army
General April 1985 Korean People's Army
Vice Marshal April 1992 Korean People's Army
Marshal October 1995 Korean People's Army
Commanding Officer February 1996 Guard Command, Korean People's Army

He was one of only a handful to have been promoted to the rank of Marshal, the second highest North Korean military rank. (The others are or were Kim Jong Il, O Jin-u, Choe Kwang, Kim Jong Un, Kim Yong-chun, Hyon Chol-hae, Ri Pyong-chol and Pak Jong-chon). His full title was Marshal of the Korean People's Army.[1][2][3][4] In his other major position, Commander of the Guard (1996–2003), he was responsible for guarding the top North Korean officials, including Kim Jong Il and his family.[5] The Guard Command is one of the few military positions which show little turnover, as Ri managed to hold onto his position from 1984 to 2003.[6] Furthermore, Ri Ul-sol became a member of the Central Military Commission of the WPK in October 1980, and a member of the National Defence Commission in May 1990.[1]

Political career[edit]

Ri was a deputy delegate to the 3rd, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Supreme People's Assemblies. In the 10th SPA, he represented Electoral District 583, and in the 12th SPA, he represented Electoral District 1.[1] He was also a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in November 1970.[1]

He was part of the Funeral Committees for both Kim Il Sung and O Jin-u. The funeral committees are often seen as an indicator of de facto power.[7][8][1]

Politically, Ri Ul-sol was one of the last surviving members of the first generation of North Korean leadership. He was seen as an ultraconservative.[2] He retired from most of his positions in 2003 during a reshuffle and was subsequently not considered to be a major player in North Korean politics.[6][9]

Awards[edit]

Ri Ul-sol was the recipient of various awards, including the Order of Kim Il Sung, Hero of Labour and Order of the National Flag (1st class). He was twice awarded the title of the Hero of the DPRK.[1][10][11]

Death[edit]

Ri Ul-sol died of lung cancer on 7 November 2015.[12] His funeral committee consisted of 169 members, with Kim Jong Un as chairman.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ri Ul-sol" (PDF). North Korean Leadership Watch. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Ri Ul-sol". Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Kim Kyong-hui an SPA No-show". North Korean Leadership Watch. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Kim Family". North Korea Leadership Watch. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  5. ^ Moon, Chung-in (1998). "Understanding regime dynamics in North Korea". International Political Science Association: 105.
  6. ^ a b Haggard, Stephan (24 July 2012). "Purges and Appointments I: What's Going On?". Peterson Institute for International Economics. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  7. ^ Hakoda, Tetsuya (27 December 2011). "All eyes set on Kim Jong Il's funeral committee list". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Clues from Kim Jong-il Funeral List". The Chosun Ilbo. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  9. ^ "N.Korea Purges Party, Military". The Chosun Ilbo. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  10. ^ Hyon-hee, Shin (8 November 2015). "N.K. leader to lead funeral of deceased marshal". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Gen. Ri Ul-sol funeral bier visualises the "gift watches as political currency" notion in North Korea". Twitter.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Ri Ul Sol Dies". KCNA. 8 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Ri Ul Sol Funeral Committee: Who's On, Who's Not". North Korea Leadership Watch. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
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