hankyoreh

North Korea has officially proposed Monday inter-Korean working level talks, but South Korea rejected the proposal as a “disguised peace offensive”and pressed North Korea to get more serious about the way it proposes talks.
North Korea said in a letter to South Korea that it would re-open Red Cross dialogue channel and the inter-Korean economic cooperation office at the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
In response, South Korea called for North Korea’s responsible measures to the sinking of the Cheonan and artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, and talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
　
S.Korean troops leave for UAE deployment
The South Korean military held a send-off ceremony on Monday for troops heading to the United Arab Emirates.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it held the ceremony for the “Akh Unit” which consists of some 130 combat soldiers that are set to be deployed to the Middle Eastern nation some time this week.　The ministry said the deployment is aimed at training special forces in the UAE as well as building military ties between the two nations.　The name “Akh” means “brother” in Arabic, which the ministry said it chose to express the special friendship between the forces of the two countries.
The deployment was approved about a month ago by the National Assembly.
(Yonhap News Agency)

BOK says produce prices on the rise
The Bank of Korea said on Monday that the produce price index rose to a two-year high ahead of South Korean biggest traditional holiday Lunar New Year, early Feburary.
Produce prices increased 5.3 percent in December from a year earlier, the biggest gain since December 2008 when it rose 5.6 percent, according to the BOK.
Lee Byung-doo, deputy director of the price statistics team at the BOK said, “The rise in produce prices reflects not only a poor agricultural harvest but increased demand ahead of the Lunar New Year’s holiday.” Produce prices are seen as a leading indicator of consumer price inflation.
It will likely put pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates when it meets this week.
　
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