The following information pertains to Sowell Corporation's defined benefit pension plan:

2022 2023 Beginning Beginning($ in thousands)balances balancesProjected benefit obligation$(6,000) $(6,504)Plan assets 5,760 6,336Prior service costAOCI 600 552Net lossAOCI$720 $786

At the end of 2022, Sowell contributed $696 thousand to the pension fund and benefit payments of $624 thousand were made to retirees. The expected rate of return on plan assets was 10%, and the actuary's discount rate is 8%. There were no changes in actuarial estimates and assumptions regarding the PBO.

What is the 2022 pension expense for Sowell's plan?

A. $594 thousand.

B. $606 thousand.

C. $678 thousand.

D. None of these are correct.