PRIME TIME NEWS 22:00 S. Korea says it wants peaceful unification, not unification

ARIRANG NEWS 22:00 Welcome to the newscast. I′m Daniel Choy, here with the latest at this hour. S. Korea says it wants peaceful unification, not unification through absorption South Korea has denied it is making preparations for unification through absorption of the North, after remarks on the subject by a senior official drew condemnation from Pyongyang. The North said it will not deal with Seoul officials,... unless a South Korean committee charged with preparing for unification is dismantled. Kim Min-ji reports. South Korea is pushing for peaceful unification,... not unification through absorption. Seoul′s unification ministry said Sunday that the government′s unification preparations are not aimed at isolating North Korea,... but for Pyongyang to join the global community. "It is a shame that the North is distorting the truth... and denouncing the South Korea government and the unification preparation committee. The North should respond positively to our efforts toward peaceful unification." The comments come after the North condemned Seoul for alleged plans to unify the two Koreas through absorption. North Korea was referring to recent remarks made by Chung Jong-wook , a vice chairman of Seoul′s Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation, who had said that unification through absorption was an option. Chung also said there was a study group looking into the possibility. He later denied the remarks,... saying his choice of words was inappropriate. North Korea said it will not deal with South Korean authorities unless Seoul′s presidential committee is disbanded,... adding that unification through absorption is a "daydream." "It is not that we don′t know of any other process for unification, or that we don′t have the ability. If the puppet group recklessly resists,... we will fight for unification in our own way." The North also demanded that South Korean President Park Geun-hye apologize and clarify her position on the issue as she is the chair of Seoul′s unification committee. Kim Min-ji, Arirang News. Korean gov′t, ruling party, presidential office agree to raise minimum wage to ′appropriate′ level Representatives of the government, the presidential office and the ruling Saenuri Party have agreed to raise the minimum wage to an "appropriate" level. The three groups failed, however, to define what "appropriate" is... during their meeting on Sunday. Hyun Jung-taik... from the presidential office also called for cooperation to boost the economy and stabilize people′s livelihoods. Let′s hear what he had to say: Korean gov′t, ruling party, presidential office agree to raise minimum wage to ′appropriate′ level "The government, ruling party and the presidential office should work together to pass pending bills that will create more jobs for our people, and especially for the younger generation." Also at the meeting, officials did not discuss the issue