Park believes 'format governs contents': aide

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye has long believed it is important to get things done under the right format, a senior aide said Wednesday, after a disagreement over the level of chief delegates led to the cancellation of rare high-level talks with North Korea. The two sides had been scheduled to open two days of meetings in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss resuming joint economic projects and other issues, but the talks were called off at the last minute after they failed to reach agreement over the level of officials to represent each side. It would have been the first high-level meeting between the sides in six years. "I heard the president saying in the past that 'format governs contents.' She used to say this often," a senior presidential official told reporters. "I'm not saying this is the instruction the president has given regarding this case, but I think there is truth behind this phrase." South Korea had earlier demanded that 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 saying 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 the dialogue partner, stressing that matching the grades of negotiation delegations is an international standard. jschang@yna.co.kr (END)