North Korea has once again failed to pay its contribution to the U.N budget on time, in what one expert said may be a sign of the DPRK’s post-pandemic financial difficulties.

As of an update on Feb. 22, the U.N. website shows that only 51 of the 193 U.N. member states paid their contribution before the Feb. 8 deadline, with another 16 paying between Feb. 9 and 22.

North Korea was among the majority of countries that have still not paid their share, which for the DPRK stands at 0.005% ($157,545) of the 2024 budget.

However, several developing countries expected