Culture and Tourism Minister Lee Chang-dong said Tuesday internal negotiations on the controversial screen quota system have been suspended.

Speaking with reporters before entering a Cabinet session at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said negotiations had entered a "cooling-off period" for the time being, adding that the U.S. is not pressing for immediate action on the issue.

South Korea and the United States have been negotiating a bilateral investment treaty, but Seoul's screen quota is considered a major hurdle to the talks.

Local theaters are required to show Korean movies 40 percent of the time to help the domestic film industry compete with foreign rivals.

But local films have grown popular over the years, accounting for over 40 percent of the market, and the U.S. side says it's time for Seoul to abolish the quota.