Career
As of May 2012, Ri is ranked northern 86 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). He is also right-handed, and uses the penhold grip.
Ri qualified for the men"s singles tournament, along with his teammates Jang Song-Manitoba and Kim Hyok-Bong, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, by receiving a place as one of the top 7 seeded players from the Asian Qualification Tournament in Hong Kong.
He received a single bye for the first round match, before losing out to Austria"s Robert Gardos, with a set score of 3–4.