The office of President Park Geun-hye bristled strongly at criticism Wednesday that not only North Korea but also the South is to blame for the cancellation of high-level inter-Korean talks.
The two sides had been scheduled to open two days of talks in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss, among other issues, resuming joint economic projects, but the talks were called off at the last minute after they failed to reach agreement over the rank of top delegates from each side.
The government-to-government talks would have been the first of their kind in six years.
Officials in Seoul said Pyongyang insisted on sending a lower-level official while demanding the South send a Cabinet minister to the talks. South Korea rejected the North's demand, saying that it's in violation of its principles and international standards.