The two Koreas have concluded their 19th round of ministerial talks without a joint statement and a date for the next round of discussions.

The meeting came to an end at the port city of Busan Thursday, one day earlier than planned.

South Korea’s chief delegate and Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said that though there were some regrets, the two Koreas decided to wrap up the meeting after conveying their respective thoughts on pending issues.

In a statement after the meeting, the North’s delegation claimed that the South had broken down the ministerial talks and had dealt a serious blow to inter-Korean relations. The North vowed to sternly assess the North’s handling of issues at the high-level talks.

Thursday marked the first time for the two Koreas to fail issuing a joint statement during ministerial talks since the sixth round of talks held in November 2001.

It is also the first time for the meeting to end ahead of schedule.