North Korean has withdrawn its liaison office with South Korea.
The North notified the South of the abrupt move Friday at the two Koreas' weekly meeting at their joint offices in the Northern city of Kaesong.
South Korea Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sun told Reuters the North said the move was on "instructions from a higher level."
South Korea said in a statement that the North's decision to withdraw from the office was "regrettable," but said the South would continue to work at the offices.
The news of the withdrawal follows last month's collapsed meeting in Vietnam between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The two leaders squabbled over the U.S. sanctions on North Korea because of the North's nuclear program.
The liaison office opened last September as part of a series of steps aimed at reconciliation between the two nations.