고(故) 노무현 전 대통령을 모티브로 한 것으로 알려진 영화 ‘변호인’이 개봉 한달여를 앞두고부터 논란에 휩싸였다.영화는 1980년대 부산을 배경으로 하고 있으며, 주인공 송우석 변호사 (송강호)가 시국사건에 휘말린 청년들을 변호하게 된다는 점에서 노 전 대통령이 변호사 시절 맡았던 이른바 부림사건을 연상케 한다. 부산의 학림 사건이란 의미에서 명칭이 붙여진 부림사건은, 지난 1981년 9월, 부산 지역 사회과학 독서모임을 하던 학생과 교사, 회사원 등 22명이 이적 표현물을 학습했다는 이유로 체포해 잔혹한 고문을 했던 사건이다. 당시 노무현 전 대통령과 문재인 민주당 의원 등 당시 부산지역에서 활동하던 변호사들이 무료 변론을 맡았고, 이 사건을 계기고 노 전 대통령이 인권변호사의 길을 걷게 되었다고 알려져있다.송강호는 19일 서울 CGV압구정에서 열린 ‘변호인’의 제작보고회에서 영화의 “누를 끼치지 않고 그분 인생의 단면을 표현할 수 있을까 덜컥 겁이 났다”면서 처음에는 역할 제안

The National Security Agency reported its own violations of surveillance rules to a U.S. intelligence court and promised additional safety measures to prevent similar missteps over and over again, according to more than 1,000 pages of newly declassified files about the federal government's controversial program of collecting every American's phone records during the past seven years.According to court records from 2009, after repeated assurances the NSA would obey the court's rules, it acknowled

Democratic Party lawmakers staged a rare walkout during the parliamentary interpellation session for over two hours Tuesday in protest of a ruling party lawmaker’s criticism of a DP member who scuffled with presidential security guards. In addressing the parliament, Saenuri Party’s Rep. Lee Woo-hyun said that DP lawmaker Kang Gi-jung used violence against security personnel deployed for President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the National Assembly. Following Park’s parliamentary address on Monday, Ka

A third of young South Koreans are negative on possible unification with North Korea, a poll showed Tuesday.The survey of 814 adults and 105 security and foreign affairs experts released by Hyundai Research Institute found that 31.6 percent of the respondents in their 20s said they don't need unification with North Korea.It also showed that 22.6 percent of the respondents in their 30s said they are not in favor of unification.Still, it showed that 78 percent of the 814 ordinary adults and 98.1 p

South Korean stocks closed 1.04 percent higher Tuesday, as indications that global economies are on the path for recovery boosted investor confidence, analysts said.The local currency inched up against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shot up 20.83 points to finish at 2,031.64. Trading volume was moderate at 397.3 million shares worth 4.24 trillion won ($4.01 billion) with gainers outnumbering decliners 426 to 391. Analysts said global economies showing si

South Korea's LIG Group said Tuesday it plans to sell all shares in its nonlife insurance arm in a bid to secure cash to compensate investors for losses incurred from its 2011 financial fraud scandal.The conglomerate said it will sell its 20.96 percent stake, or 12.5 million shares, in LIG Insurance Co., while the acquirer has yet to be decided. Market watchers said the deal is estimated at 400 billion won ($378 million).LIG Group said that the sale of LIG Insurance shares was inevitable, due to

The average household debt in South Korea grew 6.8 percent over the past year, a report showed Tuesday, spawning concerns about households' debt-servicing capacity amid weak income growth.Korean households held an average of 58.18 million won ($55,116) in debt as of end-March, up from 54.50 million won the previous year, according to the report jointly made by Statistics Korea, the Financial Supervisory Service and the Bank of Korea.Household debt here refers to financial debt and key money for

The financial regulator will check Samsung Life Insurance Co. over its rebate policy, after the local police caught a wealthy man dodging taxes by allegedly hiding the money with the help of insurance brokers, regulatory officials said Tuesday. The No. 1 insurance firm in South Korea will be inspected over whether it has made sure its insurance planners have not offered policyholders any rebates or incentives that exceed the legal limit, officials at the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said.

 국민 10명 중 7명 이상은 인터넷 게임도 도박이나 술, 마약과 같이 중독성이 있다고 생각하는 것으로 조사되었다.여론조사 전문업체인 리얼미터가 19일 밝힌 결과에 따르면 “인터넷 게임도 도박, 알코올, 마약처럼 중독성이 있다고 생각하느냐”라는 질문에 응답자의 72.1%가 “그렇다”고 대답해 “지나친 생각(20.8%)”이라는 대답보다 월등히 많은 것으로 조사되었다.또한 “본인 또는 주변에 도박•게임•마약•알코올로 고통을 겪은 경험이 있느냐”는 질문에는 20.9%가 있다고 대답했으며, 최근 논란이 된 이른바 ‘게임중독법’에 대해서는 47.8%가 찬성의견을 표해 반대의견 (31.9%)를 눌렀다.‘게임중독법’이란 새누리랑 신의진 의원이 지난 4월 제출한 법률안으로서, 인터넷 게임, 알코올, 마약, 도박 등을 4대 중독으로 지정, 정부 차원에서 관리를 강화하는 것을 골자로 한다. 이로 인해 “게임을 중독물질로 간주하고 알코올, 마약, 도박과 동일선상에서 규제할 수 있느냐”를 놓고 격렬한 토

South Korean stocks traded nearly 1 percent higher late Tuesday morning thanks to bullish large-cap heavy industries and construction shares, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 19.54 points to 2,030.35 as of 11:20 a.m.Samsung Heavy Industries, a major shipyard, surged more than 4 percent, with Daewoo Engineering & Construction hiking 4.3 percent. But shares of telecom companies lost ground. LG Uplus, the smallest mobile carrier here, dipped 3 percent.

Child abuse continued to increase in Korea, up to 6,403 cases last year, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. There were 6,058 cases in 2011 and 5,657 in 2010, officials said.In 2012 parents accounted for 83.9 percent of the abusers, followed by teachers or neighbors standing at 8.2 percent and grandparents at 3.7 percent. “Such crimes, including parental cruelty, come from people’s generous attitude towards physical and mental punishment,” Park Chang-pyo, an official from the Nation

South Korea's economy is expected to tide over its aging demographic and post an annual growth of 5 percent down the road on its rising working population, a report showed Tuesday."The Asian Tigers were named for their strong growth from the 1960s to the 1990s. But they have slowed down, (as) their last 5-year real gross domestic product (GDP) growth average of nearly 3 percent is a third of the near 9 percent growth average over 1960-1980," said Amlan Roy, a researcher at Credit Suisse.The term

South Korean stocks turned higher after a bearish start Tuesday, as investors opted to increase bets on blue-chip auto and chemical shares, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 7.58 points, or 0.38 percent to 2,018.39 in the first 15 minutes of trading, after starting some 0.05 percent lower at the opening bell. Leading carmaker Hyundai Motor gained 1.2 percent, with its auto parts-making affiliate Hyundai Mobis rising 1 percent. LG Chem jumped 2.3 percen

North Korea appears to be sincere about normalizing an inter-Korean industrial zone in the communist country that has gone back online after a suspension of more than five months, a Seoul source said Tuesday.The Gaeseong Industrial Complex reopened in mid-September, after operations came to a halt in early April due to Pyongyang's unilateral withdrawal of all its workers from the 123 South Korean companies there amid heightened inter-Korean tension.The unification ministry source told reporters

NASA's newest robotic explorer, Maven, rocketed toward Mars on Monday on a quest to unravel the ancient mystery of the red planet's radical climate change.The Maven spacecraft is due at Mars next fall following a journey of more than 700 million kilometers.Scientists want to know why Mars went from being warm and wet during its first billion year to cold and dry today. The early Martian atmosphere was thick enough to hold water and possibly support microbial life. But much of that atmosphere may

The Dow edged higher to a fresh record Monday after topping 16,000 for the first time, while the S&P 500 breached 1,800 but pulled back in late trade.The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a meager gain of 14.32 points (0.09 percent) at 15,976.02 after reaching an intraday high of 16,030.28 shortly after the market opened. It was the blue-chip Dow's fourth consecutive record close.The broad-based S&P 500 shed 6.65 (0.37 percent) at 1,791.53, falling heavily in late-afternoon trade after ea

A U.S. appeals court issued an order Monday for a district court to reconsider Apple's bid to prohibit Samsung Electronics from selling some smartphones in the U.S. market.The ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit offers a new twist in the long-running patent row between the rival firms.In December, the U.S. District Court in Northern California rejected the injunction request filed by Apple against the South Korean tech giant. Apple has claimed that Samsung products infringed o

 걸그룹 크레용팝이 행사 도중 극성팬의 난입으로 곤욕을 치렀다.크레용팝은 지난 14일 충남 천안시에서 열린 한 행사에 참석했다. 이날 한 극성팬이 공연 후 무대에서 내려가던 크레용팝 멤버 초아를 껴안으려고 달려드는 해프팅이 벌어졌다. 이 남성은 초아와 악수하는 척 하다가 초아를 껴안는 등 성추행한 것으로 알려졌다. 현장에 있던 매니저가 이 남성을 제압하고 끌어 내리면서 해프팅은 일단락된 것으로 알려졌다. 당시 현장에 있던 팬들이 올린 영상 속 초아는 당황스러움과 불쾌함을 감추지 못했다.크레용팝 소속사 크롬 엔터테인먼트 측은 18일 오전 한 매체와의 인터뷰에서 “멤버들이 무대를 내려오려다가 한 남성이 손을 내밀며 다가오길래 악수를 해주기 위해 손을 뻗었다. 그런데 그 순간 그 남성이 초아를 갑자기 껴안아 초아가 많이 당황한 것 같다. 이 남성은 멤버들과 일면식도 없는 분이다. 현장에 있던 팬들도 그 남성이 누군지 모르겠다고 했다”고 설명했다.이어 “다행히 초아가 몸을 틀어 성추행 수준

18일 박근혜 대통령의 시정연설이 끝난 직후 청와대 경호실 직원들과 민주당 의원들 사이 몸싸움이 일어나, 민주당 강기정 의원과 청와대 경호실이 서로 "폭행당했다"고 주장하고 나섰다.강 의원은 18일 국회에서 긴급 기자회견을 열고 설명한 바에 따르면, 이날 민주당 의원 몇몇은 박 대통령 시정연설을 규탄하는 집회를 열기 위해 이동하던 중, 청와대 경호실 소속 버스 3대가 길을 막아서고 있자 차량을 빼달라고 요구했다. 이에 경호실 직원들은 “다른 차들이 먼저 나간 뒤 뺄테니 기다려달라. 지금은 못 뺀다”고 맞섰고, 이에 강기정 의원은 차량을 발로 툭툭 차며 다시 한 번 차를 빼줄 것을 요구했다. 그러자 차 안에 타고 있던 한 경호원이 나와 강 의원의 앞 목과 뒷덜미, 허리춤을 잡았고 다른 경호원은 양팔을 뒤로 꺾었다. 이 과정에서 강 의원이 고개를 뒤로 제끼며 항의하던 중 강 의원의 뒤통수에 부딪혀 경호실 직원의 입술에 피가 나기도 했다. 강 의원은 "경호원이 마치 (박정희 전 대통령 당

South Korean stocks traded 0.48 percent higher late Monday morning, buoyed by gains in autos and oil refiners, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 9.7 points to 2,015.34 as of 11:20 a.m.Industry leader Hyundai Motor soared 2 percent and top oil refiner SK Innovation rose 1.8 percent. In contrast, some financial blue-chips fell. No. 4 banking group Shinhan Financial shed 1.2 percent, with Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, South Korea's No. 1 nonlife insur