Ri Ul Sol
|
Marshal Ri Ul-sol |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 14 September 1921 Seishin (Chongjin), North Hamgyong Province, Japanese-ruled Korea |
| Died | 6 November 2015 (aged 94) |
| Allegiance |
 North Korea
|
| Service/ |
Korean People's Army |
| Years of service | 1930s–2004 |
| Rank | Marshal of KPA |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Order of Kim Il-sung Hero of Labour Order of the National Flag (1st class) Hero of the DPRK (twice) |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 리을설 |
| Hancha | 李乙雪 |
| Revised Romanization | I Eulseol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ri Ŭlsŏl |
Ri Ul-sol (리을설; 14 September 1921 – 6 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.
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.
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:
He was one of only a handful of North Korean Marshals (the others being or having been Kim Jong-il, O Jin-u, Choe Kwang and Kim Jong-un), the second highest North Korean military rank. 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 1984–2003. 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.
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