Ri Hi Yong

Ri Hi Yong (Ri Hi-yo’ng) is Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Secretary for Cadres’ Affairs and Chairman of the WPK Central Inspection Commission.  He is also director of the WPK Cadres Affairs Department, a member of the Political Bureau and WPK Central Committee and a deputy to the Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA].

His first known position was around 2011 as a secretary on the North Hamgyo’ng WPK Provincial Committee.  He was elected to the WPK Central Committee during its second plenary session (7th Central Committee) in October 2017 and appointed Chief Secretary of the North Hamgyo’ng WPK Provincial Committee.  Ri was elected a deputy to the SPA in March 2019 and later appointed to alternate (candidate) status on the Political Bureau.

In 2020, he migrated to the central party as Senior Deputy Director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department [OGD] and dropped from the Political Bureau.  During the 8th Party Congress in January 2021, he retained his OGD position and was elected Vice Chairman of the Central Inspection Commission.  He was restored to alternate (candidate) status on the Political Bureau in 2022.  Ri was probably removed from office as OGD Senior Deputy Director in the Spring of 2024 and dropped from the Political Bureau and the Central Committee.

Ri Hi Yong was appointed Chief Secretary of the North P’yo’ngan WPK Provincial Committee in July 2024.  This appointment occurred after Kim Jong Un (KJU; Kim Cho’ng-u’n) inspected flood relief work in the province and summarily dismissed relevant officials including the then-Minister of Public Security and the then-chief secretary of the provincial party committee.  However, he was not a member of the Central Committee, a political office commensurate to a chief provincial party secretary.

During the Central Committee’s 11th plenary session in December 2024, Ri was seated at the back of the hall indicating he did not have Central Committee status.  At the end of the plenary session he was appointed WPK Cadres’ Affairs Department Director, Chairman of the WPK Central Inspection Commission and a member of the WPK Secretariat.  He was restored to full Central Committee membership and elected to full status on the Political Bureau.

From 24 February to 1 March, Ri Hi Yong led a DPRK delegation on a visit to Russia.  During the visit, Ri led ruling party exchanges between the WPK and United Russia Party and met Russian President Vladimir Putin.