The office of President Park Geun-hye bristled strongly at criticism Wednesday that not only North Korea but also the South is to blame for the cancellation of high-level inter-Korean talks.

The two sides had been scheduled to open two days of talks in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss, among other issues, resuming joint economic projects, but the talks were called off at the last minute after they failed to reach agreement over the rank of top delegates from each side.

The government-to-government talks would have been the first of their kind in six years.

Officials in Seoul said Pyongyang insisted on sending a lower-level official while demanding the South send a Cabinet minister to the talks. South Korea rejected the North's demand, saying that it's in violation of its principles and international standards.

On Wednesday, some opposition politicians and other critics pointed fingers at not only the North but also the South, saying that Seoul should have exercised greater flexibility to help the planned talks take place as scheduled.

The presidential office strongly rejected the criticism.

"For those who can tell where the responsibility lies for the cancellation of the talks, not pointing out North Korea's wrongdoing but blaming both sides is akin to exonerating North Korea," a senior presidential official said.

The official also stressed that the Park administration is determined to stick to principles in dealing with North Korea and that he believes many people are in support of its commitment.

South Korea had earlier demanded the North send Kim Yang-gon, a top official handling inter-Korean relations, to the talks. After Pyongyang rejected the demand, Seoul also lowered the level of its delegation to a vice minister. The North protested the decision and announced that it was putting the meeting plans on hold.

After the talks were called off, the presidential office accused the North of trying to "impose submission and humiliation" on its dialogue partner, stressing that matching the rank of top delegates is an international standard. (Yonhap News)