North Korea has again proposed to South Korea that the two sides hold working-level talks.

In an official letter sent to the Unification Ministry in Seoul on Monday, the North’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland proposed that the two Koreas hold working-level talks at Gaeseong on January 27th to coordinate details for opening higher level government talks.

Also on Monday, the North sent a letter to South Korea’s Red Cross under the name of the chief of its Red Cross organization to propose the opening of inter-Korean Red Cross talks on February first in Munsan, Gyeonggi Province. The letter also informed Seoul that the North will reopen its Red Cross office at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Wednesday.

The North made similar calls for such talks last weekend in the form of a statement.

In response, the Unification Ministry said in a statement that the North’s proposals are believed to be disguised peace gestures and are part of customary tactics to disrupt South Korean society.

The ministry then reiterated that in order for true inter-Korean dialogue to take place, the North must first take responsible steps for its sinking of the “Cheonan” naval ship and the shelling of the South’s Yeonpyeong Island. The ministry also said that the North must show sincerity toward denuclearization.