A series of meetings between South Korean civic groups and their North Korean counterparts, which had been hoped to rekindle cross-border dialogue following the collapse of the U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi, have been abruptly canceled. 

The South Korean branch of the All-Korean Committee for Implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration said on Thursday its representatives arrived in Shenyang, China for the meeting, but that their North Korean counterpart sent a fax to the Seoul office informing them of the cancellation. 

The Movement for One Korea and the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation had also planned to make contact with the North Koreans in Shenyang this week, but those meetings have also been canceled.

The two sides had been expected to discuss exchange programs between the two Koreas, including a possible joint event to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, which was the first summit since the division of the peninsula.

[Photo : YONHAP News]