NEWSLINE AT NOON 12:00 War-separated families gather at Sokcho ahead of reunion

ARIRANG NEWS 12:00 Coming up today,... South Korean family members are gathering near the border as the two Koreas prepare to hold a highly anticipated round of reunions for families separated since the Korean War. Issues such as the government′s decision to create a single, state-authorized history textbook and proposed labor market reforms take center stage as the National Assembly begins deliberations on next year′s budget. Plus,... the price competitiveness of Korean exporters slumps to a six-year low. They are suffering because of the strength of the local currency. Stay tuned for these stories and more. Hello... it′s noon on Monday the nineteenth of October... you are tuned in to our midday newscast here on Arirang TV. Thanks for joining us,... I′m Mark Broome. Title: War-separated families gather at Sokcho ahead of reunion We begin with the highly-anticipated inter-Korean family reunions,... With the historic event just one day away,... South Koreans who will get to meet their long-lost relatives living in North Korea... are set to gather close to the border in Gangwon-do Province this afternoon for a pre-session. We connect live to our Kwon Soa who is at the venue. Soa, fill us in Hi Mark I′m here in Sokcho at Hanwha Resort,... the place were families from South Korea meet ahead of the first round of family reunions,... that begin tomorrow at Mt. Kumgang in North Korea. As you can see behind me lots of media have already gathered here,... from across the country,... and the world. As it is a huge event... first time in 60 yrs second in five years 393 96 from the North 90 ppl from the south and 188 from the north second round Mark I see preparations are going well,... and the families must feeling a mix of emotions having waited more than 60 years for this moment. Soa,... walk us through how the reunion process will happen this week. Sure, Mark. The meeting is divided into two rounds. Let′s take a look at the schedule. Sokcho: briefing on the intinerary, precautionary instructions. Tomorrow morning off to Mt. Kumgang,... mass reunion, dinner 21st individual reunions, lunch, mass reunion 22nd farewell meeting The second round from Oct. 24th to 26th similar schedule What′s noticeable at the reunions this year is that the farewell meeting 2 hours. This has been Kwon Soa, reporting live from Sokcho, Hanwha Resort. Title: Rival parties link next year′s gov′t budget plans to current issues Seven National Assembly standing committees have begun deliberating government budget plans for next year. As each standing committee′s deliberations end,...the Assembly′s special budget committee will confirm next year′s budget plans by the end of November. However, as rival parties are wrestling with various other issues, notably the government-issued history textbook issue, and government-led labor market reform initiatives,... budget settlement discussions may not go smoothly. T