Minister-level talks between South and North Korea are deadlocked Thursday over Seoul's proposal to hold high-level military talks.

South Korean officials said the talks bogged down after Seoul's delegation urged the North to keep its earlier promise of holding the military talks to discuss ways on preventing possible naval clashes along the western sea border.

North Korea has insisted such a meeting would only be possible when South Korea stops its annual joint military exercises with the United States.

The North also expressed displeasure on U.S. plans to deploy an Aegis-class destroyer off North Korea's east coast as part of Washington's anti-missile defense.

South Korea also urged North Korea to resolve international concerns over its nuclear weapons program but did not elaborate on the North's response.

Both sides had planned to announce a joint statement on the last day of talks on Friday.

The four-day talks are the 14th since the historic inter-Korean summit in June 2000. The five-member South Korean delegation headed by Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday.