The National Administrative Legislation Committee has been launched as an advisory body on the administrative legal system at the national level, officials said Friday. The joint public-private committee, which belongs to the Ministry of Government Legislation, will be jointly chaired by Minister Lee Kang-seop and private chairperson Hong Jung-sun, a former professor at Yonsei University. It has a total of 38 members. Members from the private sector include various administrative law expert

Amid worries over the omicron variant of COVID-19, Korean testing kit makers showed confidence in their equipment’s ability to detect the new virus variant, pushing up their stock prices again. GreenCross Medical Science said Friday that the effectiveness of its COVID-19 testing kit has been confirmed for the new omicron variant as well. In order to assess the validity of the result from its testing equipment, GCMS conducted the ‘in-silico’ experiment, which refers to a typ

Watch this video if you've been to (or wanted to go to!!!) BTS Permission To Dance On Stage concert! BTS held its first offline concert in two years at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles this week, gathering more than 200,000 ARMYs in LA. Eager to find out what BTS said during #PTDONSTAGE ?! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konnect_kh/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@konnect_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/konnect_kh By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun

Silence prevailed at the departure gates of Incheon Airport on Thursday, a day after the nation reported its first cases of COVID-19’s omicron variant. People waiting to check in for their flights were seated meters apart with masks on. Some were wearing plastic gloves and face shields for extra protection. Cafes at the terminal were open but practically empty. “I mean, it’s the airport. Even my parents think working here makes me vulnerable to omicron. So I understand that

The militaries of South Korea and the United States will discuss the possibility of conducting an assessment required for the envisioned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) earlier than the current plan of next fall, a Seoul official said Friday. The official's remarks came after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly agreed to consider advancing the timing for the full operational capability (FOC) assessment during a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in on Thursday. Just h

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, is tied with his rival Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party at 36 percent support, a survey showed Friday. Lee gained 5 percentage points from two weeks ago, while Yoon lost 6 points, in the survey of 1,000 adults conducted Tuesday to Thursday by Gallup Korea. The other two mainstream candidates -- Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's P

Davidson junior may be just one promising NCAA player in the pack, but Koreans have high hopes

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is planning a meeting late this month with heads of major local conglomerates to thank them for participating in government-led job creation projects, local news reports said Friday. The presidential office is reportedly in talks with Samsung Group, Hyundai Motor Group, LG Group, SK Group, Posco and KT to invite their chief leaders. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum may thank them for their taking part in the job creation project that focuses on creating education o

Controversy mars Lee’s chances to emphasize change, novelty

Top Chinese Communist Party diplomat Yang Jiechi said the nation supports President Moon Jae-in’s push for the declaration of the end of the Korean War during talks with Korea’s national security adviser Suh Hoon in Tianjin, China, officials said on Friday. Suh’s visit to China was made as a follow-up to Yang’s visit to Seoul in August 2020. They discussed bilateral relations, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues. Cheong Wa Dae said Suh ex

A Coast Guard rescue operation was under way Friday to evacuate Chinese sailors from a fishing boat sinking in South Korea's southern waters, officials said. The 1,000-ton Chinese vessel started sinking at 10:59 a.m. after colliding with a rock in waters 22 kilometers southeast of Ganyeo Rock near the southern coastal city of Yeosu, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, according to officials. So far 13 people have been rescued, and nine others are also being evacuated. Coast Guards officials were d

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook on Friday invited officials from 14 major charities to the presidential office, joining them in promoting year-end donations. Moon and Kim delivered charitable donations to them and complimented their hard work in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidential office said in a statement. During the meeting, Moon asked for more people to participate in the culture of donating and sharing. Moon also asked people to pay more attention to t