어쿠스틱레인이 부른 ‘러브 이즈 캐논(Love is canon)’ 우크렐레 버전이 로이킴의 ‘봄봄봄’보다 음악저작권협회(이하 음저협)에 늦게 등록된 것으로 확인됐다. 16일 일간스포츠에 따르면 음저협 관계자는 “‘러브 이즈 캐논’ 원곡은 2012년 3월에 등록된 게 맞고 우크렐레 버전은 지난 5월 27일 등록된 것이 확인됐다. 피아노 버전도 5월 13일 등록됐다”고 전했다. 로이킴 ‘봄봄봄’ 표절 의혹을 촉발시킨 곡은 2012년 3월 어쿠스틱레인이 발표한 곡 ‘러브 이즈 캐논’의 우크렐레 버전. 그런데 원곡이 아닌 우크렐레 버전의 도입부가 ‘봄봄봄’과 유사하면서 문제가 다소 복잡해졌었다. 결국 표절 시비를 가리기 위해서는 누가 먼저 음저협에 등록했는지 여부가 쟁점이 됐다. 이에 일각에서는 어쿠스틱레인이 ‘봄봄봄’ 인기에 뒤늦게 음저협에 등록한 것이 아니냐는 목소리도 나오고 있다. 로이킴 측 관계자는 일간스포츠를 통해 “이렇게라도 억울함을 조금은 덜게 됐다. 다시 한번 말하지만 로이킴

A Presidential Security Service agent has been fired over suspicions that he took bribes from a man at the center of a massive corruption scandal involving construction-site catering contracts, officials said Tuesday.The 47-year-old agent, identified by his surname Park, has been accused of accepting about 120 million won (US$107,214) from contract broker Yoo Sang-bong, who was convicted by the Supreme Court last year of bribing top police officials and others to seek their help in winning cater

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday on losses in shares of large-cap exporters, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.59 points, or 0.24 percent, to 1,870.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics slipped 0.8 percent, with Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipyard, shedding 0.3 percent. Net selling by foreigners and institutions lent support to the main index's bearish start, analysts added. The local cu

Spain's prime minister on Monday brushed off demands he should resign after text messages emerged showing him comforting a political party treasurer under investigation over a slush fund and secret Swiss bank accounts. The spectacle of alleged greed and corruption has enraged Spaniards hurting from austerity and sky high unemployment with no end in sight.As Mariano Rajoy told reporters he would not step down, former Popular Party treasurer Luis Barcenas testified behind closed doors in Madrid, t

Boeing helped the stock market edge higher Monday, extending a scorching start to July.The plane maker's stock was one of the standouts as the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose for an eighth straight day, its longest streak of gains since January.Boeing gained $3.79, or 3.7 percent, to $105.66 after it was found that batteries were not the cause of a fire on one of its 787 aircraft at London's Heathrow airport Friday. Earlier this year, smoldering batteries on two 787s caused the plane to be grou

South Korean teenage footballer Ryu Seung-woo will join Borussia Dortmund in the top German league, a German report claimed.The online edition of Kicker, a German sports magazine, reported Monday that the 19-year-old will be the latest summer signing by the Bundesliga side. The report noted that Borussia Dortmund has yet to give an official confirmation of the move.Ryu recently represented South Korea at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where the country reached the quarterfinals.In group stage, the win

The U.N. Security Council has refused to back a report by a panel of experts which unanimously concluded that Iran violated U.N. sanctions when it launched several ballistic missiles a year ago.Australia's U.N. Ambassador Gary Quinlan, who chairs the committee monitoring sanctions on Iran, did not identify which countries were opposed in his briefing to the council on Monday. But council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private, said Russia was most vocal

A judge revoked Chris Brown's probation on Monday after reviewing the details of an alleged hit-and-run accident involving the singer and his behavior afterward. However, the singer was not ordered to jail.Brown appeared downcast. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, suggested that perhaps the matter will be resolved informally without a major probation hearing. Deputy District Attorney Mary Murray did not ask for Brown to be jailed, and the judge allowed him to remain free on his own recognizance.The sing

One worker was killed and six other workers are missing after being swept away by swift currents on Monday while removing old water pipes inside a water distribution reservoir near the Han River, police said. Cho Ryong-geun, 57, who was killed in the incident, is known to be Chinese. Work to rescue the six others -- including three workers also believed to be Chinese -- is currently underway. Water from the rain-swollen Han River, which flows through the center of Seoul, rushed into the nearby 4

South Korean stocks closed 0.28 percent higher Monday as China's economic growth for the second quarter met market estimates, analysts said. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.18 points to finish at 1,875.16. Trading volume was moderate at 326.1 million shares worth 3.1 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 436 to 355.Seoul shares gathered ground after China's National Bureau of Statistics said i

The government kicked off Monday its long-pending sale of Woori Finance Holdings Co. by putting two of its bank affiliates up for a bidding, as it takes a full approach in its fourth attempt to privatize the state-run banking group. The state-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) posted a sales notice to sell its 56.97 percent stake in Kyongnam Bank and Kwangju Bank, the two regional banks tied with Woori Finance as of July 15, according to the KDIC. The bidding comes as the first part of the

The volatility of the local currency against the U.S. dollar hit an 18-month high in the second quarter, largely due to the jitters in the foreign exchange market stemming from a weaker yen, the central bank's data showed Monday.The daily volatility rate of the won-dollar cross rate averaged 0.43 percent in the April-June period, the highest since 0.64 percent tallied in the fourth quarter of 2011 amid the Greece-led debt crisis in the eurozone, according to the data by the Bank of Korea (BOK).

South Korean stocks traded 0.34 percent higher late Monday morning on reports that China's on-year economic growth for the second quarter met the market estimate of 7.5 percent, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 6.4 points to 1,876.38 as of 11:20 a.m.Carmakers led the market gain, with No. 1 player Hyundai Motor adding 1.44 percent and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors rising 1.54 percent. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis moved up 0.98 percent.Logistics

Lawmakers began the process of reviewing the transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit Monday in the hope of putting to rest the controversy over former President Roh Moo-hyun’s stance on the Northern Limit Line.The de facto maritime border between the two Koreas in the West Sea has been a source of contention between the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party. At issue are claims that the late former leader denied its validity during his talks with late North Korean lead