North Korea has put on hold inter-Korean ministerial talks in order to protest joint military exercises carried out by South Korean and U.S. forces, according to the North's state news agency.

The Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that the North's chief delegate to the ministerial talks, Kwon Ho-ung, notified his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-seok of the decision to delay the talks, which had been scheduled for March 28 to 31 in Pyongyang.

North Korea said it was forced to push back the inter-Korean talks because Seoul recently confirmed that joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises would be conducted for one week starting from March 25. The North claims the exercises are an attempt to intimidate and threaten the communist country.

"Our side has repeatedly requested your side halt the joint military exercises with outside forces, which threaten inter-Korean relations and go against the basic principles of the June 15 joint declaration," Kwon told Lee.

He said the talks would be pushed back to sometime in April but did not specify a date.