Top North Korean officials convened a politburo meeting without leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, the first time state media has publicized the DPRK leader’s absence from such an event. 

Politburo Presidium member and secretary for Organizational Affairs of the Party Central Committee Jo Yong Won led the meeting “upon authorization” by the politburo, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday morning, as officials finalized plans for a party plenum scheduled for the coming days.

The state media report was brief, stating that officials decided the plenum’s debate format, schedule and participant makeup. They also reportedly “examined and approved important documents” to be presented at the major political meeting, such as a “report on the interim review of the work for implementing Party and state policies.”

The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) added a clause to its rulebook at a Jan. 2021 congress stating that Politburo Presidium members can chair politburo meetings “through the authorization of the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” referring to Kim Jong Un.

Martin Weiser, an independent researcher on North Korea and NK Pro contributor, told NK News that Kim may not have participated “because the meeting was a mere formality, as suggested by the North Korean report on the meeting.”

He added it’s also possible Kim was busy elsewhere but that “we do not know if he was occupied with an important political event or decided to skip for less important matters.”

The politburo meeting came during a 10-day break by Kim from public appearances, his longest since announcing a national COVID-19 lockdown on May 12. His whereabouts are unknown, but it is possible he has spent time at his east coast beach compound as his megayachts have appeared active in satellite images taken in recent days.

State media has not revealed precisely when the party plenum will begin, but originally said it is planned for the “first third of June.” 

Kim is expected to join the meeting to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown — a situation described in state media as a national “health crisis” and the country’s “worst upheaval ever.” The economy will likely be another priority at the meeting, with foreign relations and military development possibly on the agenda as well.

Health authorities have reported steadily decreasing “fever” case numbers for the last week, down to 54,610 between June 6 and 7, and only three related deaths in the last two weeks. 

In one photo of Tuesday’s politburo meeting, most officials appeared seated in close quarters without wearing masks, ignoring state policy mandating their use indoors and reflecting confident claims in state media that the outbreak has been “stably suppressed and controlled.”

Edited by Bryan Betts. Updated on June 8 at 9:38 a.m. KST to include expert comments.