---
title: "Ri Pyong Chol: Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea | Save North Korea"
description: Ri Pyong-chol is a North Korean military official and formerly a top advisor of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Military
url: "https://savenorthkorea.org/people/ri-pyong-chol"
language: en
translations:
  en: https://savenorthkorea.org/people/ri-pyong-chol
  ko: https://savenorthkorea.org/ko/people/ri-pyong-chol
  ja: https://savenorthkorea.org/ja/people/ri-pyong-chol
  zh-Hans: https://savenorthkorea.org/zh/people/ri-pyong-chol
---

[People](https://savenorthkorea.org/people) · politburo · military · missile

# Ri Pyong Chol 리병철 

Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea

alive 78 years old Sanctioned: OFAC Sanctioned: UN 

Ri Pyong-chol is a North Korean military official and formerly a top advisor of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and a member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea. He is a relative of Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ri%5FPyong-chol)

Born

1948, North Korea

Height

Unknown 

Weight

Unknown 

Military rank

General

Status as of

2026-09-01

Also known as

Ri Pyong-chol, Marshal Ri

## Positions

1. ?–now Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5367054)
2. ?–now member of State Affairs Commission[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5367054)
3. ?–now member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea[source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5367054)

## Sanctions [everyone sanctioned →](https://savenorthkorea.org/sanctions) 

- **OFAC** · 23215[listing](https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/Details.aspx?id=23215)
- **UN** · KPi.076 · since 2017-12-22[listing](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/1718/materials)

Machine-readable: [/api/people/ri-pyong-chol](https://savenorthkorea.org/api/people/ri-pyong-chol) · [Wikidata Q5367054](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5367054) · Photo: [KCNA via Ministry of Unification North Korea Information Portal](https://nkinfo.unikorea.go.kr/nkp/prsn/view.do?menuId=PEOPLE%5F86&prsnMngNo=23305) (Fair use)