Ri Yong-ho (diplomat)

Ri Yong-ho
리용호
Minister of Foreign Affairs
14th term
In office
11 April 2019 – 18 January 2020
ChairmanKim Jong Un
PremierKim Jae-ryong
Succeeded byRi Son-gwon
13th term
In office
13 May 2016 – 11 April 2019
ChairmanKim Jong Un
PremierPak Pong-ju
Preceded byRi Su-yong
Personal details
Born (1956-07-10) 10 July 1956 (age 68)
Pyongyang, North Korea
Political partyWorkers' Party of Korea
Alma materPyongyang Foreign Language University
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
리용호
Hancha
李容浩
Revised RomanizationRi Yong-ho
McCune–ReischauerRi Yong-ho
IPAɾi.joŋ.ɦo

Ri Yong-ho (Korean리용호; 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.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nkinfo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Former N.K. Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho likely executed last year: report". Yonhap News Agency. 4 January 2023.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "NIS says Ri Yong-ho purged, unclear whether executed: lawmakers". The Korea Herald. 5 January 2023.
  6. ^ Sang-Hun, Choe (16 July 2024). "North Korean Diplomat Defects to the South, Shares News of Political Purge". The New York Times.