A regular meeting among culture ministers of South Korea, China and Japan has been postponed to late December from this week upon requests from Beijing, a government official here said Friday.

China made the request a week ago citing "internal affairs, including preparations for the fifth plenary session of the 18th-term Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party," the official at the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism told Yonhap News Agency by phone. The official requested not to be named.

Culture ministers of the three countries planned to discuss ways to enhance cultural exchanges and cooperation between the nations during the meeting, the seventh of its kind, originally set to open in Qingdao, China, on Friday for a two-day run.

The Chinese Communist Party session is a pivotal meeting to review major policies of the party and the state, and set blueprints for future policies. It is to be held in Beijing on Oct. 26-29. (Yonhap)