S. Korea offers to send flood aid to N. Korea

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea has proposed sending emergency relief aid to North Korea, the first such offer since ties sank into a deep freeze after the death of the North's leader last December.

The South's Red Cross chief sent a proposal on Monday calling for talks with North Korea on the shipment of aid, the Unification Ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, said on Friday.

Official aid from the South to the North often goes through the Red Cross as a matter of formality.

South Korea last sent such aid two years ago, although civilian groups have been allowed to ship aid to the impoverished North despite high cross-border tensions.