North Korea's No. 2 man attending the 31st Summer Olympic Games appears to be almost nonexistent in the arena of sports diplomacy as he is mostly seen cheering on athletes or taking tours, observers here said Wednesday.

In addition, the North's report that Choe Ryong-hae met with the interim Brazilian leader turned out to be false.

Choe, who holds the title of vice chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, arrived in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday (local time) to attend the Olympics, local sources said. His visit has been seen as a move to take full advantage of the Olympics to carry out sports diplomacy in a bid to break away from international isolation following Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missile development.

However, Choe, who doubles as the head of North Korea's commission for physical culture and sports, seems to have had little activity in meeting with influential political figures, and has restricted himself to watching North Korean athletes' perform and going on sightseeing trips.

Choe on Tuesday visited Sambodromo, where the archery events are taking place, and watched compatriot Kang Un-ju performing in the women's individual archery qualification rounds. He then went to Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre to watch the women's synchronized 10m platform diving final where North Koreans Kim Kuk-hyang and Kim Mi-rae competed.

On Monday, Choe watched table tennis player Kim Song-i and toured the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain, the iconic tourist attraction in Rio. Wearing a black suit, he was with Kim Chol-hak, North Korea's ambassador to Brazil, and other four officials.

The senior official on Sunday was at Riocentro-Pavillion 2 to watch weightlifter Om Yun-chol's performance. But after Om failed to defend his Olympic gold, Choe left the venue and didn't watch the weightlifter receiving the silver medal from Chang Ung, the lone North Korean International Olympic Committee member.

Choe did meet with some top figures from around the world on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremony. He attended the gala dinner hosted by the IOC where U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, French President Fran?ois Hollande, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the IOC President Thomas Bach were present.

Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency, meanwhile, reported on Sunday that Choe "separately met" with Bach and International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer on the day of the gala dinner. The KCNA also said Choe on Friday met with Interim Brazilian President Michel Temer and expressed the North's willingness to "develop friendly and cooperative relations with Brazil." North Korea and Brazil established diplomatic ties in March 2001.

However, an official from Brazil's foreign affairs ministry told Yonhap News Agency that the meeting with Choe and Temer never took place on Friday.

"We know there's a high-ranking North Korean official in Rio, but he didn't separately meet with Temer," an official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the issue. "We can't also tell whether Choe's side tried to contact top Brazilian officials, but was denied a meeting."

It was widely expected that the North will try to show that it is a normal country and improve its external image through the Olympics. After sanctions from the international community, Choe was expected to meet with global leaders in Rio and explain the overall situation facing the country and defend its actions.

Sources following Choe in Rio said he is staying at a hotel that is outside of the downtown area. His room is apparently next to where Kwon Sung-chol, former North Korean ambassador to Cuba, is staying. An official from hotel said not many foreign VIPs are staying here due to security concerns.

Choe is known to be staying at this hotel until Thursday. (Yonhap)