A profile picture of Chang Gwang-chol, UNESCO's director of education policy, is shown on the organization's website in this screenshot captured June 23. (UNESCO website) North Korean UNESCO official Chang Gwang-chol has withdrawn from this week's Jeju Forum, organizers said Monday, canceling what would have been a rare appearance by a North Korean national at a South Korean government-hosted international event.The 21st Jeju Forum, jointly hosted by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Jeju Province, will take place from Wednesday to Friday under the theme "Reinventing Cooperation in a Fragmented World."The Jeju Peace Institute, organizer of the annual forum, said UNESCO had informed it that Chang, director of UNESCO's Education Policy Division and a North Korean national, would not be participating in the event.A Vietnamese education specialist will replace him as a speaker.Chang had been scheduled to join virtually on Friday for a session titled "UNESCO and the Future of Education: Challenges and Prospects."Chang's participation had attracted attention amid the prolonged freeze in inter-Korean relations. Earlier this month, a Foreign Ministry official said that, to the ministry's knowledge, no North Korean individual had previously participated in the Jeju Forum.The late withdrawal prompted speculation among some observers that the media attention surrounding Chang's participation may have contributed to the decision.The reasons for Chang's decision have not been made public.Who is Chang Gwang-chol?Chang is a North Korean education expert who serves as director of the Education Policy Division under UNESCO's Office of the Assistant Director-General for Education. He has spent more than two decades at UNESCO, holding senior positions at its headquarters in Paris and regional offices in Bangkok and Dakar, where he worked on education policy, planning, financing and quality improvement.Before joining UNESCO, Chang worked at North Korea's Ministry of Education and earned a doctorate in education from Kim Hyong Jik University of Education in Pyongyang.Chang has previously participated in South Korea-related educational events, including the 2020 Seoul International Education Forum, which he attended virtually. He had been expected to join this year's Jeju Forum to discuss international cooperation and the future of education alongside experts from South Korea and other countries.