[1] He may have been trained at the Okeanskaya Field School in Vladivostok or in the RKKA Military Academy in Khabarovsk, both in the Soviet Union.

[1] He fought for Korea's independence from Japan alongside Kim Il Sung in World War II.

[4] It is said that Ri assumed the position of surrogate father to Kim Jong Il, the future North Korean leader.

[7][8][1] Politically, Ri Ul-sol was one of the last surviving members of the first generation of North Korean leadership.

[2] He retired from most of his positions in 2003 during a reshuffle and was subsequently not considered to be a major player in North Korean politics.