Yonhap News Summary

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.

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LG Group chairman sued over inheritance

SEOUL -- LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo has been sued by his family over inheritance he received more than four years ago, in a dispute that is feared to shake management of the country's fourth-largest chaebol.

Koo's stepmother and two stepsisters filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Western District Court on Feb. 28 to request the cancellation of inheritance that took place following the death of Koo Bon-moo, the late LG Group chairman, in May 2018.

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KF-21 fighter prototypes succeed in first nighttime flights: arms agency

SEOUL -- South Korea's homegrown KF-21 Boramae fighter jet prototypes have successfully conducted their first nighttime flights, the state arms procurement agency said Friday.

The third and fourth prototypes of the KF-21 conducted the test flights the previous night, as their lighting device operated normally, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

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(LEAD) Deceased former aide said to have urged Lee to leave politics in suicide note

SEONGNAM, South Korea -- A former chief of staff to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was found dead in an apparent suicide, urged the Democratic Party (DP) chair to quit politics in his suicide note, informed officials said Friday.

The deceased, surnamed Jeon, is also said to have complained about being investigated by prosecutors in connection with Lee's corruption allegations.

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Umbrella union leader vows to stand up against gov't reform of workweek

SEOUL -- The leader of a major umbrella union on Friday pledged to stand up against the controversial reform of the 52-hour workweek system, accusing the government of trying to cancel labor progress achieved over the past decades.

The government announced a set of labor reform measures on Monday, including enabling companies to increase the maximum work hours per week to 69 hours from the legally permitted 52 hours now.

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Yoon vows to further strengthen extended deterrence against N.K. threats

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Friday to work with the United States to further strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Yoon made the remark during the 77th graduation and commission ceremony of the Naval Academy in Jinhae, 312 kilometers southeast of Seoul, noting that the security situation in Northeast Asia and on the Korean Peninsula is graver than ever, while the global security order is faced with unprecedented challenges.

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(2nd LD) N. Korean leader inspects 'actual war' readiness of artillery unit targeting enemy's airfield: KCNA

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a "fire assault drill" of an artillery unit as he urged the military to bolster simulated drills for an "actual war," Pyongyang's state media said Friday, with South Korea and the United States set to kick off their springtime joint military exercise next week.

Photos released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) also showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae attending the "field guidance."

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Prosecution mulls additionally charging JMS leader for sexual assault

SEOUL -- Prosecutors said Friday they are considering bringing additional sexual assault charges against Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader of a controversial religious group, as his detention period is set to expire soon.

Jeong -- the founder of Jesus Morning Star, better known as JMS -- is currently standing trial, while being physically detained, on charges of sexually assaulting two female followers with foreign nationality.

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(LEAD) Seoul stocks down for 3rd day on growing rate hike fears

SEOUL -- Seoul stocks closed lower for a third straight session Friday as investors grappled with renewed fears over faster rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed down 24.50 points, or 1.01 percent, to 2,394.59. The index fell 2.36 percent over the past five days.

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