By Lee Joon-sung SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's private aid to North Korea has effectively been frozen in the face of heightened inter-Korean tensions that are undermining the foundation of local help organizations and hurting mutual trust building efforts, sources said Wednesday.

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea urged North Korea Tuesday to accept working-level talks that could help normalize operations of a suspended inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong and alleviate local companies that are suffering due to the suspension. The Kaesong Industrial Complex has been shut down since early April when Pyongyang withdrew all of its workers from the 123 South Korean companies there, citing the South's provocations against the communist country.

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Tuesday to open up domestic markets to Indian businesses and narrow a gaping trade deficit between the two countries. "As for Indian concerns over the trade deficit, the Chinese side is willing to provide facilitations for more Indian products to access the Chinese market," Li said during a speech to Indian business leaders in New Delhi. "I am confident we have the ability to mitigate the trade imbalance between our two countries," he added.

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea was ranked the worst country at preparing policies to meet challenges posed by aging, a state-run think tank said Tuesday, in the latest wakeup call that the Asian country needs to take action to deal with its rapidly aging population. South Korea is fast becoming an aged society, in which more than 14 percent of the population is 65 or older. Korea became an aging society in 2000, when the ratio exceeded 7 percent.