Ri Jong-sik

Ri Jong Sik (; born 14 February 2000) is a North Korean table tennis player. He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the mixed doubles tournament along with Kim Kum Yong.

Biography Ri was born on 14 February 2000 in Pyongyang, North Korea. In 2015, he participated at the Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships. He played at the DPR Korea Open in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In April 2024, Ri and his mixed doubles partner Kim Kum Yong qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by defeating Spain in the ITTF World Olympic Qualification Tournament, 4–3.

Ri and Kim, unranked by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) due to their limited experience in international competitions, were the last-ranked team in the Olympic mixed doubles competition and faced defending champion Japan – ranked second globally – in the opening round. In a major upset, the North Korean pair defeated Japan by a score of 4–1. Ri and Kim followed it up by defeating eighth-seeded Sweden and then fourth-seeded Hong Kong to reach the tournament finals against China. They were defeated in the finals, 4–2, and thus received the silver medal, becoming the first Olympic medal-winners from North Korea in eight years.

Following their silver medal, Ri and Kim shared a selfie on the podium with their fellow medallists, including Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin of South Korea. This was celebrated around the world as a moment of great sportsmanship, but reportedly led to criticism from the North Korean authorities, who according to The Guardian placed Ri and Kim under "ideological scrutiny" upon their return to the country.