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  Prosecutors question first lady over luxury bag allegations SEOUL, July 22 (AJU PRESS) - Prosecutors interrogated first lady Kim Keon Hee last weekend over a couple of allegations including the acceptance of a luxury bag, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said on Sunday. The first face-to-face investigation with Kim came about seven months after the accusations regarding the bag surfaced, and four years after allegations of her involvement in a stock manipulation of Deutch Motors, a major BMW car dealer in Korea. Kim is a July 22, 2024
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  Kim Min-ki, singer, democracy icon and pop culture force, dies at 73 SEOUL, July 22 (AJU PRESS) - Kim Min-ki, a singer-songwriter and playwright who was a voice of Korea's pro-democracy movement in the 1970s and 80s, died Sunday after struggling with stomach cancer. He was 73. He penned numerous protest anthems, including "Morning Dew," and lyrical folk songs during the turbulent times. Later, he created a legendary rock musical and nurtured pop culture artists through his iconic theater, Hakchon. According to his family Monday, Kim July 22, 2024
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  Annual Boryeong Mud Festival awaits summer revelers SEOUL, July 18 (AJU PRESS) - One of Korea's most popular summer festivals kicked off in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province on Friday, which is famous for its beautiful beaches and skin-cleansing sludge. The annual Boryeong Mud Festival, now in its 27th year, runs its two-week-long mud-themed madness until Aug. 4, inviting tourists to a variety of fun activities like mud slides, mud wrestling, mud massages, and body painting with mud. Visitors can also unwind through a numb July 19, 2024
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  Torrential downpours hit capital region SEOUL, July 18 (AJU PRESS) - Torrential downpours drenched Seoul and many other parts of the country on Thursday. Heavy rain alerts were issued in the Seoul metropolitan areas, along with landslide warnings in parts of Gangwon and South Chungcheong provinces. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, was the hardest hit, with an hourly precipitation of 75.1 mm at one point in the early morning hours, after having already been battered by over July 18, 2024
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  Supreme court grants spousal health insurance coverage for same-sex couples in Korea SEOUL, July 18 (AJU PRESS) - The Supreme Court ruled that the government should provide spousal health insurance coverage for those in same-sex relationships. The court, in a historic ruling, upheld in favor of the plaintiff, So Seong-wook, in his lawsuit against the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). In Korea, the person designated as the head of the household pays for health insurance bills for the entire family. So, who married his partner Kim Yong-min in 2019, was in July 18, 2024
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  Seminar explores S. Korea's diplomatic relations with Russia amid recent developments SEOUL, July 17 (AJU PRESS) - A seminar offering insights on South Korea's diplomatic relation with Russia took place in central Seoul early this week. The three-hour-long seminar was part of a weekly program, hosted by a community learning center run by Seoul's Jongno district office. It invites notable figures from various fields every Tuesday to give classes and lectures on a wide range of topics. They are open to all residents, with a particular focus on providing learnin July 17, 2024
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  Korean-American ex-CIA official accused of acting as spy for Seoul SEOUL, July 17 (AJU PRESS) - A Korean-American expert on North Korea has been accused of acting as an "agent for Seoul," multiple U.S media outlets reported Tuesday. Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA agent and senior fellow at American think tank Council on Foreign Relations, has worked for the South Korean government since June 2013 after leaving the intelligence agency, according to a 31-page indictment released by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. She allegedly received lu July 17, 2024
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  High-ranking N. Korean diplomat in Cuba defected to Seoul last year, spy agency confirms SEOUL, July 16 (AJU PRESS) - A high-ranking North Korean diplomat who had been stationed in Cuba, defected to South Korea last year, the National Intelligence Service said Tuesday, confirming media reports. Ri Il-kyu, a former counselor at the North's embassy to Cuba, sought asylum with his wife and children last November. Ri, 52, who studied Spanish at Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, served in North Korea's diplomatic mission in Cuba for nearly a decade between July 16, 2024
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  Filipino domestic helpers to arrive in Seoul this fall SEOUL, July 16 (AJU PRESS) - About 100 Filipino workers are expected to arrive in Korea this fall, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Tuesday. These domestic helpers from the Philippines will be allowed to work for couples in Seoul starting from September. Hiring them as maids or nannies, a program initiated by Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon, aims to relieve difficulties faced by young couples who struggle to balance childcare and household chores as well as encouraging them to July 16, 2024
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  Korea witnesses largest-ever number of lottery first prize jackpots with 63 winners SEOUL, July 15 (AJU PRESS) - Korea saw an unprecedented number of Donghang Lottery jackpots on Saturday, with 63 winners sharing the top prize. According to the Korean Lottery Commission, operated by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the record-breaking 63 winners surpassed the previous record of 50 winners set in June 2022. Each winner from Saturday's draw received approximately 419 million won ($303,074), which is about a quarter of the average Korean Lotto first-plac July 15, 2024