Ri Tu-ik (; born 1921 in Jilin, China - died March 13, 2002, in Pyongyang) was a North Korean politician of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

and Vice-Marshal of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

, who was a member of the

Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (CMC) () is an organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which heads the Korean People's Army (KPA). One of the CMC's primary functions is to authorize ...

Biography

Ri Tu-ik joined Kim Il Sung's partisan struggle in the late 1930s and was part of his security escort. After training in guerrilla warfare in northeast China, as a member of the 88th Special Reconnaissance Brigade () of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, he led reconnaissance missions against the Japanese occupation forces in Jilin and

North Hamgyong Province North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, S ...

. In 1945 he was first platoon leader and then in 1948 company commander in the security escort of Kim Il Sung. During the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, known in North Korea as "Victorious Liberation of the Fatherland", Ri was commander of a battalion in 1951 and then completed military training between 1954 and 1958 in the areas of joint warfare and special operations in the Soviet Union. On his return in 1958 he became commander of the 3rd regiment and later deputy commander of the 9th Division, before being appointed commander of the 9th Division in 1962. On October 8, 1962, he was also elected for the first time as a deputy of the Supreme People's Assembly. In 1963 he was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed head of the operations department of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

of the

. He then acted as the commanding general of the VII Army Corps between 1965 and 1973 and was an adviser to the

Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...

, the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

between 1967 and 1968. At the end of the 1968s Ri Tu-ik had a significant share in purges within the Korean People's Army and was promoted to Colonel General in 1968. At the fifth party congress of the WPK in 1970 he became a member of the

WPK Central Committee The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is the highest organ between national meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea. According to WPK rules, the Central Committee is elected by the party co ...

for the first time. After he was the commander of the 2nd Army Group between 1973 and 1976, he served as the commanding general of the 2nd Army Corps from 1977 to 1980 and then became the commanding general of the 4th Army Corps in 1980. On the 6th party congress, which took place in Pyongyang from October 10–14, 1980, he was also elected a member of the

Central Military Commission Central Military Commission may refer to: *Central Military Commission (China), the highest national defense organization in the People's Republic of China. *Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest body in Vietnam ...

. He was promoted to general in 1985 and served as commanding general of the

Pyongyang Defense Command The Pyongyang Defence Command (), also known as the Pyongyang Defense Corps is a military area and corps of the Korean People's Army based out of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. The PDC is composed of 70,000 KPA personnel who, alongsid ...

from the late 1980s to 1992. Ri was promoted to Vice Marshal on April 20, 1992, and remained active in political life as a member of the Central Military Commission and Kim Jong Il's adviser even after the death of

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

and his son Kim Jong Il's ascending to power in 1994. After undergoing medical treatment in the People's Republic of China in 1997, he ceased to appear in public after 1999. He died death on March 13, 2002, and was buried on March 15, 2002, in the

Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery () is a cemetery and memorial to the North Korean soldiers fighting for freedom and independence against Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese rule. The 30-hectare site is located near the top of Mount Ta ...

on Mount Taesongsan.''Weekly Report on North Korea''
(25. März 2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ri, Tu-ik North Korean generals Workers' Party of Korea politicians Korean communists North Korean expatriates in the Soviet Union North Korean military personnel of the Korean War 1921 births 2002 deaths People of 88th Separate Rifle Brigade People from Jilin Generals from Jilin Chinese people of Korean descent Koryo-saram activists for Korean independence Koryo-saram military personnel Korean resistance members Heroes of the Republic (North Korea)