North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho is unlikely to attend this year's meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

According to a source at the UN on Saturday, North Korea notified them that it will send an ambassadorial official as a keynote speaker for the General Session of the UN General Assembly.

The North had earlier informed the UN that Foreign Minister Ri would attend the opening of the General Assembly session on September 17. But last week, Pyongyang reportedly changed the level of its keynote speaker to an ambassadorial, or "Corps Diplomatique" official from a minister-level official.

Pyongyang's UN Ambassador Kim Song is expected to make the speech on September 30.

The North's decision not to send Ri, if confirmed, would dash expectations for a meeting between him and United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.