Ri Je-gang

Ri Je-gang (1930 – 2 June 2010) was a North Korean politician.

Career Ri studied at Kim Il Sung University. 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. He became a deputy chief of the same bureau as well as Kim's personal secretary in 1982; he was elevated to first deputy chief in 1999. He had a long rivalry with Jang Sung-taek.

Death 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. 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.