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