Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported that an inter-Korean summit slated for 2009 was cancelled due to disagreements.

Quoting relevant Korean officials, the Asahi Shimbun said the two Koreas had secretly contacted each other several times from spring 2009. Things sped up when North Korean delegates met with President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul during their visit to pay respects to the death of former South Korean president Kim Dae Jung in August.

In October, South Korean Labor Minister Lim Tae-hee and the head of the United Front Department of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party Kim Yang-gon met in Singapore and reportedly agreed on a date for the summit.

However, coordination failed in light of the North’s nuclear program and food support, and the summit was cancelled, according to the newspaper.

The Asahi Shimbun added there are speculations that a summit may come about before South Korea’s local elections in June.