Ri Yong-ho | |
|---|---|
리용호 | |
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| 14th term | |
| In office 11 April 2019 – 18 January 2020 | |
| Chairman | Kim Jong Un |
| Premier | Kim Jae-ryong |
| Succeeded by | Ri Son-gwon |
| 13th term | |
| In office 13 May 2016 – 11 April 2019 | |
| Chairman | Kim Jong Un |
| Premier | Pak Pong-ju |
| Preceded by | Ri Su-yong |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 July 1956 Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Alma mater | Pyongyang Foreign Language University |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 리용호 |
| Hancha | 李容浩 |
| Revised Romanization | Ri Yong-ho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ri Yong-ho |
| IPA | ɾi.joŋ.ɦo |
Ri Yong-ho (Korean: 리용호; Korean pronunciation: [ɾi.joŋ.ɦo]; born 10 July 1956) is a North Korean politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Korea from 2016 to 2020.[1][2]
Ri's current status is unclear. The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun in 2022 reported that he had been executed, citing unnamed sources.[3][4] South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed that Ri was purged but was not able to verify his reported execution.[5] In July 2024, Ri Il-kyu, a former North Korean diplomat and defector, told The Chosun Ilbo that he had been sent to a penal colony, not executed.[6]
Ri was known as a skillful negotiator with experience in negotiating with the United States on the North Korean nuclear program. In particular, he had headed North Korea's negotiators at the six-party talks. His diplomatic career spanned more than 30 years, including posts in various embassies. Ri was the ambassador to the United Kingdom between 2003 and 2007.
Ri was a full member of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and its Politburo, and was a deputy to the 14th Supreme People's Assembly.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
nkinfowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 北朝鮮、新外相に李容浩を任命 [Ri Yong-ho appointed as North Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs]. JoongAng Ilbo (in Japanese). 18 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Former N.K. Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho likely executed last year: report". Yonhap News Agency. 4 January 2023.
- ^ 北朝鮮、李容浩元外相を処刑か…在英国大使館勤務経験の外務省関係者らも. Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). 4 January 2023.
- ^ "NIS says Ri Yong-ho purged, unclear whether executed: lawmakers". The Korea Herald. 5 January 2023.
- ^ Sang-Hun, Choe (16 July 2024). "North Korean Diplomat Defects to the South, Shares News of Political Purge". The New York Times.