North Korea’s new ambassador to India formally began his post on Thursday, an announcement from the presidential office in New Delhi said.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the new ambassador, Choe Hui Chol, presented his diplomatic credentials to Indian President Shri Ram Nath Kovind via video conference — the first time in India’s history that an ambassador’s credentials were delivered “through the digital medium,” the announcement said.

Choe was first appointed to the post in late March last year, but was not confirmed for nearly 15 months. It’s unclear why the formal presentation of credentials had to wait more than