Ri Son-gwon (^[1]) is a North Korean politician and diplomat who has served as chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. Between January 2020 and June 2022, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Career

Ri led a North Korean delegation for the first high-level inter-Korean talks in more than two years in January 2018. He was once known the right-hand man of Kim Yong-chol, and appeared at a second round of inter-Korean working-level military talks in October 2006. He also served as a Senior Colonel within the Korean People's Army.^[2]

In January 2020, he was named in media reports as the successor for Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.^[3] ^[4] ^[5]

On 11 February 2021, he was elected as a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.^[6] On 11 June 2022, during the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the WPK, Ri was appointed as the head of the United Front Department. He was succeeded by Choe Son-hui as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[7]

Notes and References

Web site: ko:리선권(남성) . nkinfo.unikorea.go.kr . n.d. . 11 February 2020 . https://nkinfo.unikorea.go.kr/nkp/theme/viewPeople.do?nkpmno=23343 . ko .
Web site: Ri Yong Ho replaced as North Korean foreign minister, sources say . O'Carroll . Chad . . 18 January 2020 . 19 January 2020 .
Web site: 19 January 2020 . North Korea picks army man who led Korean talks as top envoy . 19 January 2020 . The Straits Times . Bloomberg.
Web site: Kim Jong Un sacks foreign minister, says report . 2020-01-19 . Financial Times.
News: Johnson . Jesse . 2020-01-19 . North Korea ditches top diplomat in reshuffle that could impact nuclear talks . en-US . . 2020-01-19 . 0447-5763.
News: 12 February 2021 . N. Korean Foreign Minister Ri named politburo member . . 25 October 2023.
News: 11 June 2022 . N. Korean leader stresses need for stronger national defense . . 25 October 2023.