North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho will reportedly stay away from the ASEAN Regional Forum in Thailand next week.
According to diplomatic sources, North Korea recently notified Bangkok that Ri won't be attending the event.
It was anticipated that high-level denuclearization talks could be held between the top diplomats of North Korea and the U.S. on the sidelines of the event, but opportunity now seems gone.
The non-attendance is significant as the regime has sent its foreign minister to the event every year since 2003.