North Korea is set to despatch only a low or mid-level diplomat to this year’s U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) meetings, dashing hopes among Pyongyang watchers of an appearance by the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

Reem Abaza, a UNGA spokeswoman, told NK News that North Korea would be represented by the charge d’affaires of its mission to the U.N. — making it the last country to speak on the final day of the six-day diplomatic jamboree later this month.

This year’s UNGA takes place amid a global COVD-19 pandemic, with most leaders sending pre-recorded video messages instead of flying to