Photo of Machado, this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, displayed at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. AFP Yonhap News

With the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony just one day away, attention is focused on the whereabouts of this year's laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (58), as her press conference has been canceled.

According to foreign media, including AFP, the Norwegian Nobel Institute announced to the press on the 9th at 1 PM (local time) that the press conference scheduled in Oslo, where the ceremony will be held, had been canceled.

The institute initially suggested in a press release sent in the morning that the press conference was postponed and could be held within the day. However, it later issued a statement announcing that the conference "will not be held today."

Traditionally, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's press conference is held the day before the award ceremony, on December 10th, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prizes.

In its statement, the institute explained that the laureate Machado "had mentioned how challenging her journey to Oslo would be in interviews with the press," and added, "We cannot provide any further information at this point regarding when and how she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize (award) ceremony."

Machado has been in hiding at an undisclosed location in Venezuela since August last year, in opposition to the iron-fisted rule of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Therefore, whether she will attend the Oslo ceremony in person, despite the threat of arrest, is one of the biggest points of interest surrounding this year's Nobel Prize.

Venezuelan authorities have warned that Machado, who faces numerous charges including criminal conspiracy and terrorism, will be considered an escaped fugitive if she leaves the country. The Maduro regime issued a travel ban against Machado in 2014.

When the Nobel Committee initially announced Machado's press conference, speculation arose that she might have already arrived in Norway, defying the Venezuelan government's threats. However, with the event's cancellation, it remains uncertain whether she is in Oslo and if she will be able to receive the award in person at the ceremony on the 10th, AFP reported.

Nonetheless, Jorgen Frøydnes, Director of the Nobel Institute, previously told AFP that Machado's attendance was "almost" confirmed.

Machado's family, including her mother, daughter, and three sisters, have arrived in Oslo and expressed their hope for Machado's attendance at the ceremony.

Increased security around the Grand Hotel in Norway. EPA Yonhap News

It has been reported that from the 8th onwards, a large police presence has been guarding the Grand Hotel in downtown Oslo, where Nobel Peace Prize laureates typically stay.

In October, the Nobel Committee selected Machado as this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, stating that she "has tirelessly strived to promote the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and has fought for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."