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Moon rents theater to watch hit film on former Pres. Roh

Moon rents theater to watch hit film on former Pres. Roh

Posted January. 04, 2014 01:35,   

한국어

Moon Jae-in, a lawmaker and former presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party, watched hit movie "The Attorney" at a theater in Busan on Friday. The movie depicts a legal case involving ex-President Roh Moo-hyun as a civil rights lawyer resisting a dictatorial regime in the 1980s. Moon`s company included the accused in the "Boorim incident."

Moon rented a 140-seat movie theater in Busan for the viewing and had traditional Korean pork soup for dinner with the company afterwards.

The Boorim incident refers to a case in which Korea`s military regime illegally detained 22 university students and office workers without arrest warrants and indicted them for violating the National Security Law after torturing them in September 1981. Former President Roh, who was then an ordinary attorney, took on the case pro bono, together with Moon and other lawyers. Roh then became a human rights attorney after the case.

Moon, former chief of staff of President Roh, initially refrained from watching the movie, saying he wanted to avoid "political misunderstanding." But upon request by the defendants in the Boorim case, Moon came to watch the movie, a close aide to Moon said.

Ahn Cheol-soo, an independent lawmaker seeking to found his own political party, was wary that the film would work as a catalyst for the rallying of pro-Roh groups.

"Movies are a form of art and should not be used for propaganda," said Lee Kye-ahn who heads the committee for founding Ahn`s new party. "The movie should not be assessed by its worship of former President Roh. It`s not the right path for him."