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Ri Ul-sol
Ri Ul-sol portrait.jpg
Commander of the Supreme Guard Command
In office
February 1996 – 2003
Leader Kim Jong Il
Member of the National Defence Commission
In office
February 1990 – 2003
Leader Kim Jong Il
Personal details
Born (1921-09-14)14 September 1921
Songjin, Kankyōhoku-dō, Japanese-ruled Korea
Died 7 November 2015(2015-11-07) (aged 94)
Pyongyang, North Korea
Awards
  • Order of Kim Il Sung
  • Hero of Labour
  • Order of the National Flag (1st class)
  • Hero of the DPRK (twice)
Military service
Allegiance North Korea
Branch/service Korean People's Army
Years of service 1930s–2004
Rank Marshal
Battles/wars
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 리을설
Hancha 李乙雪
McCune–Reischauer Ri Ŭlsŏl
Revised Romanization I Eulseol

Ri Ul-sol (Hangul: 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

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

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.

Military career

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

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

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. 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. 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. 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.

Political career

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. He was also a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in November 1970.

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.

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. 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.

Awards

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.

DPRK Hero of the Republic ribbon.gif DPRK Hero of the Republic ribbon.gif DPRK Hero of the Republic ribbon.gif
PRK Order of Kim Il Sung BAR.png
PRK Order of Kim Il Sung BAR.png PRK Order of Kim Il Sung BAR.png PRK Order of Kim Il Sung BAR.png
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class.svg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg
FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg
FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg
FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon.jpg DPRK Order of Labor.png
DPRK Order of Labor.png DPRK Order of Military Service Honor 1st Class.png DPRK Order of Military Service Honor 1st Class.png
DPRK 20th Anniversary Order.png DPRK 20th Anniversary Order.png DPRK 20th Anniversary Order.png
DPRK 20th Anniversary Order.png 30th Anniversary of the Publication of the Rural Theses Order ribbon.png DPRK 5th of March Commemorative Order.png
PRK Order of the National Flag - 2nd Class BAR.png PRK Order of the National Flag - 2nd Class BAR.png PRK Order of the National Flag - 2nd Class BAR.png
PRK Order of the National Flag - 2nd Class BAR.png FreedomAndIndependence2Ribbon.jpg FreedomAndIndependence2Ribbon.jpg
FreedomAndIndependence2Ribbon.jpg DPRK Order of Three Great Revolutions.png Commemorative Order of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean People's Army ribbon.gif
DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 3rd Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 3rd Class.svg DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 3rd Class.svg
Commemorative Medal Anniversary of the Foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ribbon.gif FatherlandLiberationRibbon.jpg DPRK Military Merit Medal.png
装饰略章.svg DPRK Commemorative Medal for the Fatherland Liberation War (Korean War), 1950-1953.png 装饰略章.svg

Death

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

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