Ri emerged herself in the international scene at the 2001 World Judo Championships in Munich, Germany, where she earned a silver medal in the 48-kg division, losing the final match to Japanese judoka and 2000 Olympic champion Ryoko Tani by a referee's decision. When her neighboring South Korea hosted the Asian Games in Busan the following year, Ri claimed an ippon victory over Kazakhstan's Tatyana Shishkina to share bronze medals with China's Shao Ran in the same division.