Amid heightened tesions over North Korea's missile launch, the government has delayed military talks proposed by the North earlier this week.

A Defense Ministry official said Friday that the North Monday proposed to hold working-level military talks at the truce village of Panmunjom on Friday morning, but the government asked Pyongyang Thursday to delay the talks in light of the missile situation.

The official said the government's move was not a rejection of Pyongyang's proposal, but an offer to postpone the talks and that Seoul will set a new date for the talks at an appropriate time.

The official said the government also expressed strong regret over the North's missile tests that came just two days after the proposal.

He said Seoul isn't sure whether Pyongyang made the proposal to genuinely hold the military talks or for some other purpose.