d'Vinci
Ri, Yong-ho
A senior diplomat and the first Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ambassador to Great Britain.
RI YONG-HO (1956-). A senior diplomat and the first Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ambassador to Great Britain. He became a vice minister for foreign affairs in September 2010, succeeding Kim Gye-gwan, and in July 2011, he was named as the DPRK representative to the Six Party Talks on nuclear matters. Ri was born in Pyongyang, the DPRK capital, where his father was a cameraman with the Korean Documentary Film Unit. In this role, he came to the attention of Kim Jong Il, who moved him to the Korean Workers' Party (KWP) propaganda and agitation department. Later, the elder Ri became head of Kim's secretariat, and from 1992 to 1994 he was KWP secretary at the DPRK embassy in Paris, where he was sent in order to receive medical treatment.
Ri attended Namsan High School in Pyongyang, where Kim Jong Il also studied, and then graduated from Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 1976 and served in Zimbabwe and Sweden. He returned to the DPRK in 1988 and worked in the MFA's international organizations' bureau. From then on, he was closely associated with policy toward the United States, a role that continued when he was promoted to councilor in 1995. The councilor's office prepares all official MFA statements on international affairs as well as those relating to the Republic of Korea. As MFA councilor, Ri became involved with the implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework on the nuclear issue, and, with the title of ambassador at large, accompanied Jo Myeong-rok, the vice chair of the National Defense Commission, on his visit to the United States in 2000. In May 2001, Ri led the DPRK delegation to the Association of South East Asian Nations Regional Forum in Vietnam. He also visited Great Britain to attend a conference. Following the establishment of the DPRK embassy in London, Ri became the first ambassador in 2003. When the DPRK and Ireland established diplomatic relations in 2004, Ri was also accredited to Dublin and to the European Union. He remained in London until 2006, when he returned to the DPRK and resumed a senior role in the MFA. Ri speaks Swedish and English and has an easy way with foreigners. His wife and daughter accompanied him to London. In September 2010, he was appointed a vice foreign minister. He is said to be close to the former senior vice foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator Kang Seok-ju, who became a vice premier in 2010. In December 2011, he was listed as number 182 of 233 on Kim Jong Il's funeral committee.
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. (Historical Dictionary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, by James E. Hoare, published by RLPG Books, appears by permission of the author and publisher).
Ri attended Namsan High School in Pyongyang, where Kim Jong Il also studied, and then graduated from Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 1976 and served in Zimbabwe and Sweden. He returned to the DPRK in 1988 and worked in the MFA's international organizations' bureau. From then on, he was closely associated with policy toward the United States, a role that continued when he was promoted to councilor in 1995. The councilor's office prepares all official MFA statements on international affairs as well as those relating to the Republic of Korea. As MFA councilor, Ri became involved with the implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework on the nuclear issue, and, with the title of ambassador at large, accompanied Jo Myeong-rok, the vice chair of the National Defense Commission, on his visit to the United States in 2000. In May 2001, Ri led the DPRK delegation to the Association of South East Asian Nations Regional Forum in Vietnam. He also visited Great Britain to attend a conference. Following the establishment of the DPRK embassy in London, Ri became the first ambassador in 2003. When the DPRK and Ireland established diplomatic relations in 2004, Ri was also accredited to Dublin and to the European Union. He remained in London until 2006, when he returned to the DPRK and resumed a senior role in the MFA. Ri speaks Swedish and English and has an easy way with foreigners. His wife and daughter accompanied him to London. In September 2010, he was appointed a vice foreign minister. He is said to be close to the former senior vice foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator Kang Seok-ju, who became a vice premier in 2010. In December 2011, he was listed as number 182 of 233 on Kim Jong Il's funeral committee.
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. (Historical Dictionary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, by James E. Hoare, published by RLPG Books, appears by permission of the author and publisher).
