The seventh congress of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea is said to be under way without the participation of key foreign guests.
 
A government source said Friday that the North did not actively send out invitations ahead of the congress.
 
In addition, some countries that were invited confirmed that they had no intention of sending delegates.
 
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party, earlier said on Wednesday that senior political, social and economic figures of China, Russia, Cambodia and Iran had sent congratulatory letters to leader Kim Jong-un over the congress.
 
However, the newspaper stopped short of saying that foreign delegations were attending.
 
In the previous party congress held in 1980, 177 senior officials from 118 countries attended the gathering, including China’s Vice Premier at the time.  
 
Observers believe that the absence of key foreign guests at the seventh congress resulted from the international community's fresh sanctions against the North for carrying out its fourth nuclear test and missile launches.