A meaningful high-level meeting between South and North Korea on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this month is unlikely as Pyongyang is reportedly planning to send an ambassador-level diplomat to the annual event. 

According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday, North Korean Ambassador to the UN Kim Song is scheduled to make a speech at the UN on September 27, the final day of the 76th General Assembly slated to open in New York on Tuesday next week. 

It marks the third consecutive year Kim addressed the UN Assembly. The North previously sent former Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong to the event in 2015, while his successor Ri Yong-ho attended it from 2016 to 2018. 

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will accompany President Moon Jae-in to the forthcoming UN gathering from Sunday and hold meetings with his counterparts of major countries and the representatives of international organizations. 

The South Korean government had initially planned to hold various events at the UN General Assembly this year marking the 30th anniversary of both Koreas joining the world body but decided not to hold physical events amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. No joint event featuring the two Koreas is scheduled.