| Honorific Prefix: | Vice Marshal | ||||||||||||
| Ri Myong-su | |||||||||||||
| Native Name: | 리명수 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 20 February 1934 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | North Korea | ||||||||||||
| Office: | Chief of the General Staff | ||||||||||||
| 1Namedata: | Kim Jong Un | ||||||||||||
| Term Start: | February 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Term End: | June 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor: | Ri Yong-gil | ||||||||||||
| Successor: | Ri Yong-gil | ||||||||||||
| Office1: | Minister of People's Security | ||||||||||||
| Term Start1: | 2011 | ||||||||||||
| Term End1: | 2013 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor1: | Chu Sang-song | ||||||||||||
| Successor1: | Choe Pu-il | ||||||||||||
| Citizenship: | North Korean | ||||||||||||
| Allegiance: | Korean People's Army | ||||||||||||
| Branch: | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||||||||||||
| Party: | Workers' Party of Korea
| ||||||||||||
Ri Myong-su (ko|리명수; born on 20 February 1934 in Myongchon, North Hamgyong) is the former chief of General Staff of the Korean People's Army from 2016 to 2018.
Ri was a confidant and military aide of the former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. He was appointed the head of the Ministry of People's Security by Kim Jong Il in April 2011 and served in that role until removed from power by Kim Jong Un in February 2013.[1] [2] He was replaced by Choe Pu-il.[3]
He was made chief of General Staff of the Korean People's Army in February 2016 and promoted to vice marshal rank in April that year.[4]
In June 2018, it was announced that he had been sacked about a week before the summit between North Korea and the United States, and was replaced in the position by his deputy Ri Yong-gil.[5]