He was elevated to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in 1973 as head of the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD); Kim Jong Il's takeover of the bureau later that year set the stage for his friendship with Ri.

[2] Ri reportedly directed many of the purges of senior government officials which took place during Kim Jong Il's reign.

[4] Ri died due to injuries sustained in a car crash; there were different theories about the cause, including speculation that it may have been foul play.

[2] In particular, Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University called the death suspicious, pointing to the lack of traffic in North Korea, and described the death as "part of a long tradition" of politicians being killed in mysterious traffic incidents.

[5] In contrast, North Korea analyst Lee Sang-hyun of the Sejong Institute suspected a more innocent explanation, that Ri may have been driving under the influence of alcohol after returning from a party held by Kim Jong Il, and found himself unable to control his vehicle on poorly lit and poorly maintained roads.