Reunion Preparations

[Anchor Lead]

Separated families from South and North Korea are looking forward to the upcoming reunions to be held at the North Korean resort at Mt. Geumgang starting on Tuesday. Over the weekend many had their hands full preparing gifts for their long-lost kin.

[Soundbite] "Do you want to wear black? Yes. Or white?"

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A formal suit donned for the first time since retirement. A necktie chosen with extra care. Even packing bags is fun for this man who is going to reunite with his older sister in the North for the first time since their separation during the Korean War.

[Soundbite] Park Yong-deuk (Member of Separated Family, (Age 81)) : "All I want to ask my sister when I see her is, 'is it you? Is it really you? Are you alive for real?' That's all."

[Soundbite] "Is this for the baby? Right."

This elderly man, Kim Jun-kyum, has prepared bundles of gifts for his younger brother in the North - from socks and jackets to gloves. He's going to reunite with him for the first time in 65 years. Three generations of Kim's family have prepared gifts together for their relative. Kim remembers his brother as a one-year-old baby carried on his mother's back. But now he's over 60. Kim wants to do his best for his long-lost brother to make up for all those years that they could have spent together.

[Soundbite] Kim Jun-kyum (Member of Separated Family, (Age 82)) : "I want to do as much as I can for my brother because I'm seeing him for the first time in 65 years. That's all I want."

Piles of family pictures and gifts are just a few indicators of how much separated families have missed their long-lost kin for over six decades.

2. Science & Tech Forum

[Anchor Lead]

A five-day international science and technology forum has opened in Daejeon, bringing together renowned science figures and academics from around the world. Let's take a look at the event and what it means.

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The OECD Ministerial Meeting Daejeon 2015, World Science and Technology Forum begins Monday. The event will be attended by science and technology ministers and vice ministers from some 50 countries including OECD member nations, and the heads of 12 international organizations. Renowned foreign academics, including Nobel laureates and futurologists, will participate in discussions on the future of science and technology. The forum will focus on three major issues: overcoming the global economic crisis; addressing global warming; and how to narrow the economic gaps between countries. Representatives of participating nations will discuss ways to address the low-growth economy through international cooperation in the science and technology sector. They will also coordinate measures to deal with global warming. Furthermore, possible solutions will be discussed to narrow economic and social gaps between developed and developing countries. The discussion results will be embodied in the Daejeon Declaration, which will be announced on October 21.

3. Korea-U.S. Summit

[Anchor Lead]

At the recent South Korea-United States summit meetings, the two nations' leaders adopted a joint statement on the North Korean nuclear issue. Seoul says the two heads of state also agreed that South Korea has what it takes to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

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The joint statement on North Korea's nuclear issue has been lauded as the greatest achievement of the South Korea-United States summit meeting.

[Soundbite] Ju Chul-ki (Senior Secretary for Foreign Affairs) : "Seoul and Washington will likely continue concrete negotiations on how to achieve substantial progress on North Korea's nuclear issue."

The summit also served as an opportunity to dispel concerns in the U.S. that Seoul was increasingly clinging to Beijing.

[Soundbite] Barack Obama (U.S. President (S. Korea-U.S. joint news conference, Oct. 17))

Observers say the summit has paved the way for the resumption of six-way nuclear talks with China acting as a go-between. North Korea's nuclear issue and cooperation among Northeast Asian nations will likely top the agenda of the trilateral South Korea-China-Japan summit slated for early next month. The presidential office added that the latest summit has opened new economic horizons in the South Korea-U.S. alliance by reaching a consensus on South Korea's entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and agreeing to sign a space development cooperation deal as soon as possible.

4. Family Support

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea has one of the lowest birthrates in the world. If the situation goes unchecked, the population could drop to half the current level by 2090. In response, the government has announced measures to encourage marriage through increased housing and financial support.

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Yoo Kun-hyuk, an office worker in his early 30s, has decided to postpone marriage for the time being. The decision is his response to the soaring expenses of lump sum-based housing leases.

[Soundbite] Yoo Kun-hyuk (Unmarried Office Worker in His 30s) : "I would like to get married right away, but I have no savings and housing rental costs are soaring."

Korean men spend an average of approximately 66,300 U.S. dollars in marriage expenses. Most of the expenses go to housing, which is why eight out of ten Korean men consider this to be the heaviest burden. That's why the government has promised more active housing support. The government will encourage people to get married at a younger age by expanding assigned priority for rental homes from newlyweds to soon-to-be married couples, and offering bonus points for younger applicants. Imposed medical expenses for pregnancy and childbirth costs such as ultrasound check-ups will gradually be phased out. Regarding the most fundamental issue of job creation, the government will create 40,000 new jobs in the public sector and offer tax benefits of as much as 4,400 U.S. dollars per head to companies that hire more permanent employees. However, some are voicing concerns over the effectiveness of the latest measures, as the government has presented no plans for the procurement of financial resources and has recycled many of its previous policies.

5. Smartphone Addiction

[Anchor Lead]

Smartphone addiction among teenagers is a serious issue. That's why many parents are showing increased interest in camps for youth that offer hands-on experience programs to steer their kids away from the addictive devices.

[Soundbite] "Let's start our recreational program. I don't want to. It's no fun. I'll just play with my smartphone."

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This role-playing exercise is about the excessive use of smartphones by teens. It's being performed by junior high and high school students, many of whom spend hours using the Internet and smartphones on a daily basis.

[Soundbite] "Seong-soo's body has become stiff and he eventually died because he used his smartphone too much."

The teenagers learn how to play the guitar and draw pictures with brushes and pens for the first time in a while.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyung-min (Camp Participant) : "I wanted to portray what teenagers feel inside. When was the last time you drew a picture with markers? As far as I remember, I didn't do this even in kindergarten."

At first, staying at this camp, where mobile phones are not allowed, was a challenge to many.

[Soundbite] Chung Seong-soo (Camp Participant) : "Using my phone before going to bed helps me fall asleep better. But here I had to stare at the ceiling while trying to fall asleep. I'm getting used to it now."

Nearly 30 percent of teens in Korea are addicted to smartphones. Steering them away from addictive devices and showing them the real world beyond the cyberspace at their fingertips may be the answer to what has become a serious social problem.

6. Underwater Scenes

[Anchor Lead]

Autumn is the season of harvest. This is also true under water. A wide variety of fish and other maritime creatures can be seen preparing for the cold to come under the sea off the coast of Jeju Island. Here are some underwater scenes from the southern island.

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The water is filled with schools of young anchovies, glittering like flakes of snow. Hatched only last summer, they swim in groups to avoid bigger fish. Young damselfish, indigenous to Jeju, also show off their group dance. Schools of black fin sweepers hide between corals and rocks. Originating from the tropics, blue damselfish have settled in the waters near Jeju. Five-banded damselfish, which are popular as aquarium specimens because of their beautiful stripes, hunt in groups for prey.

[Soundbite] Prof. Lee Young-don (Marine Science Inst. of Jeju Nat’l Univ.) : "Autumn is the season when skies are high and horses grow fat. With abundant plankton in Jeju waters, fish eat large amounts of food to pass the winter."

Coral in various colors forms a palace of flowers under the sea. Coral also takes in nutrients, as plankton reproduces in great amounts during the autumn season. The oceans waters off the coast of Jeju are teeming with maritime life, as its inhabitants busily prepare to pass the winter.

7. Itaewon Experience

[Anchor Lead]

Itaewon in Seoul is known as an international neighborhood frequented by foreigners. Now the area has become a multicultural hot spot where both Koreans and foreigners can experience many different cultures from around the world.

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People are milling along the middle of the main street in Itaewon, which would have been filled with cars on any other day. A traditional Korean music performance is taking place on the street, followed by a U.S. military band parade. Roughly 1,000 Koreans and foreigners took part in the Itaewon Global Village Festival to show off the heritage of their respective countries.

[Soundbite] Darce (American Tourist)

Children are drawn to the booths where they can experience cultures from 25 different countries.

[Soundbite] Kim Yeon-woo (3rd Grader) : "It was nice to see foreigners and try foreign food."

The hottest attraction is, of course, street foods from around the globe.

[Soundbite] "Two dollars, two dollars! They're really, really good!"

Festival visitors are busy trying out exotic culinary fares from different parts of the globe, from Africa to Asia to South America.

[Soundbite] Sung Jang-Hyun (Mayor, Yongsan District) : "This event was arranged for a lot of tourists to come visit and enjoy Korea."

This year's festival has grown substantially, thanks to a large number of merchants in Itaewon participating in the event. Roughly 800,000 visitors, 70,000 more than last year, came to enjoy the celebration, making the Itaewon Global Village Festival one of Seoul's signature attractions.

8. Entertainment News

[Anchor Lead]

A musical production about the tragic separations of family members during the Korean War and other painful events from modern Korean history have been put on stage ahead of the latest real family reunion between South and North Korea. This and more news is coming up on today's show biz segment.

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The nationwide live telecast on KBS of searches for families separated by the Korean War broke the hearts of viewers everywhere. This historic broadcast inspired the musical production "Seoul 1983" presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theater in marking the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence. It is a story of a woman who lived through the tragedy of the Korean War and the pain of being separated from her loved ones. The production features "Does Somebody Know This Person," the iconic theme song from the family search program, as well as hits from the 80s and 90s like "Evergreen" and "Ulleungdo Twist" to play up the mood of that particular time. Actor Lee Joon-gi makes his Hollywood debut with an appearance in the latest installment of the "Resident Evil" franchise. Lee's management agency said he is currently in South Africa filming "Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter", which is slated for release in 2017.

9. Preventing Bowed Legs

[Anchor Lead]

Bowed legs are often the result of bad posture and habits in daily life. The condition can even affect your health; there's an association with arthritis. Today we have details on the bad habits that can cause bowed legs and ways to prevent it.

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Especially in the summer, some people avoid wearing a skirt or short pants because of their less than shapely legs.

[Soundbite] Kim Jeong-min (Gwangju, Gyeonggi Prov.) : "I'm conscious of my bowed legs. I'm uneasy about it and feel less confident."

This person has the typical alphabet O shaped bowed legs. There's a hollow spot between the legs. The legs are a wide 5 centimeters apart. There's also the opposite case of legs bowed toward the outside in an X shape, in which case the heels and calfs come apart. In many cases, daily habits are to blame for less than shapely legs. Kneeling while cleaning or sitting crossed-legged can cause bowed legs. Crossing your legs also does not help. High heels, an out-toed gait and leaning on one foot when standing all put pressure on the pelvis. If these habits are left unchecked, your health can be put at risk.

[Soundbite] Nam Mun-sik (Korean Society of Chuna Manual Medicine for Spine & Nerves) : "The pelvis itself is twisted which leads to gonarthritis or lumbago. In worse cases, it can cause herniated lumbar disc."

There are some easy exercise movements anyone can try. For O shaped legs, place a plastic bottle between the legs and repeat raising and lowering your heels while slightly bending the knees.

[Soundbite] Kim Da-eun (Physical Trainer with Expertise in Body Type) : "Do 3 sets, 20 times each."

For X-shaped bent legs, put the plastic bottle between the heels for the same exercise. This time, get a towel and spread it below your pelvis and head as you lie face down. Take turns folding each leg up and lift the knee while the pelvis remains steady. Try three sets of 30 repetitions each and the effects will soon show.

[Soundbite] Nam Mun-sik (Korean Society of Chuna Manual Medicine for Spine & Nerves) : "You can treat areas causing bowed legs by strengthening muscles in charge of the hip area."

Moderate exercise and good daily habits can help straighten the legs and make your body feel more balanced.