With the simplest of sentences, NBA veteran Jason Collins set aside years of worry and silence to become the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay.In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins begins: “I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.”Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, most recently as a reserve with the Washington Wizards after a midseason trade from the Boston Celtics. He

Prosecutors questioned former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon Monday as part of a probe into the national spy agency’s alleged attempt to intervene in the 2012 presidential election. “The investigation is currently underway. He will likely be summoned several more times,” said an official at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.The Democratic United Party, which first raised the allegation of illegal political intervention before the presidential election last December, fi

전설의 팝 싱어 마이클잭슨의 가정부는 “잭슨은 팝 영웅이 아닌 타락한 마약쟁이며 교묘하고 뒤틀렸으며 악마와 같은” 사람이라고 일요일 영국의 한 잡지사와의 인터뷰를 통해 밝혔다. 1990년대 마이클잭슨의 개인 가정부로 고용된 아드리안 맥마너스는 영국의 선데이미러 잡지사를 통해 마이클 잭슨이 1993년 약물 남용으로 두 번 정도 거의 “죽을” 뻔 했다고 밝혔다. 그녀는 “저는 잭슨이 죽은 줄만 알고 가슴이 철렁 내려앉았습니다. 몇 분 동안 그의 이름을 불러도 깨어나지 않았습니다. 영원히 잠드는 줄 알았는데 갑자기 잠에서 깨어나듯 깼고 아무 말도 하지 않고 눈물만 흘렸습니다” 라고 밝혔다. 이 일이 있고나서 몇주 후 맥마너스는 마이클 잭슨이 수영장 근처에 누워있는 것을 경호원이 발견했다고 전했다. 그녀는 같은 시기 잭슨의 맨션에서 마약으로 가득 찬 가방을 발견했다고 덧붙였다. 2009년 6월 50세의 젊은 나이로 사망한 마이클 잭슨은 자신의 주치의인 코나드 머레이에의한 프로포폴 남용으로

North Korea warned Monday that it could take final and decisive action against a suspended inter-Korean industrial complex if South Korea follows through with removing the remaining 50 South Korean workers from the site.The warning came after South Korea's unification ministry said Friday that all remaining personnel at the complex in the North's border city of Gaeseong will be withdrawn after Pyongyang rejected talks aimed at normalizing the zone.The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Worker

South Korean stocks turned lower after opening higher, dented by widening losses in large-cap exporters and major banking groups, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.12 points, or 0.11 percent to 1,942.44 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics shed 0.4 percent, with blue-chip auto-parts maker Hyundai Mobis slipping nearly 1.6 percent. Shares of major banking firms lost ground as they began to release quarterly earnings f

South Korea set up a task force Monday to support companies hit by the suspension of a joint inter-Korean industrial park in the North Korean border town of Gaeseong, officials here said.The move follows Seoul's decision on Friday to pull its workers from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex over Pyongyang's rejection of an offer for dialogue. Out of a total of 175 South Koreans, 125 returned home the following day along with one Chinese national who was there with them. The remaining 50 South Korean

South Korean Park In-bee, the world's No. 1-ranked female golfer, earned her third LPGA Tour victory of 2013 in Texas on Monday, Korean time.Park captured the North Texas LPGA Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, with a four-round total of 13-under 271. She shot a 4-under 67 in the final round for a one-stroke victory over Carlota Ciganda of Spain. Park will take home US$195,000 for her effort.Ciganda held a two-shot lead over Park and Caroline Masson of Germany after three rou

South Korea's current account surplus widened to a four-month high in March as exports gained ground despite the yen's weakness and the service account improved, the central bank said Monday.The current account surplus reached US$4.98 billion in March, up from $2.71 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.The March reading was the largest since November last year, marking the 14th straight month of a surp

Greece's Parliament approved an emergency bill Sunday to pave the way for thousands of public sector layoffs and free up 8.8 billion euros ($11.5 billion) in international rescue loans.The bill, which passed in a 168-123 vote, will allow for the first civil service layoffs in more than a century. About 2,000 civil servants will be laid off by the end of May, with another 2,000 following by the end of the year and a further 11,500 by end-2014, for a total of 15,500.The legislation is the latest w

우리투자증권의 지점 두 곳에서 고객자금 13억9천만원을 횡령한 사실이 금융당국에 적발됐다.27일 금융감독원에 따르면 우리투자증권 부산 수영지점의 전 지점장 ㄱ씨는 지난 2011년 총 6억6천여만원의 고객 돈을 착복했다. 투자자들이 맡긴 증권카드를 이용해 자신의 계좌로 이체한 것으로 드러났다.서울 강남구 소재 우리투자증권 모 지점의 부당행위도 금감원 조사에서 밝혀졌다. 해당지점 과장 ㄴ씨는 지난 2008년부터 2012년까지 총 78회에 걸쳐 7억3천여만원의 고객자금을 횡령한 혐의를 받고 있다.금감원은 이 증권사에 기관주의 제재를 내리고 지점장 ㄱ씨 등 2명을 면직 조처할 예정이다.금융당국은 또 하나대투증권 광주지점의 불건전 영업행위도 적발했다. 금감원은 지점장 ㄷ씨 등 4명에 대해 감봉 또는 견책 처분을 내리고 과태료 2천5백만원을 부과했다고 밝혔다.한편, 자동차보험료를 부당 산출한 에르고다음 다이렉트(현 악사손보)에는 기관경고 제재와 더불어 과태료 5천만원이 부과됐다. (코리아헤럴드