South Korea has expressed regret over Pyongyang's cancellation of a high-level ministerial meeting originally scheduled to open Tuesday.

In a statement, the Unification Ministry called on the North to immediately convene the talks to address major inter-Korean projects and to continue the positive development of South-North relations.

Ministry spokesman Kim Hong-jae said it is important for both Koreas to implement inter-Korean accords in good faith and to pursue cooperative projects without a hitch.

The remarks came as Pyongyang cancelled the previously arranged Cabinet-level talks in Seoul in an apparent protest over the recent mass defection of Northerners to the South. Analysts say Seoul's recent refusal to allow a Southern delegation to visit Pyongyang for the 10th anniversary of the death of the North's founding leader also contributed to the cancellation.