As omicron cases rise rapidly, there are urgent questions about how aggressively we should respond. At one extreme are reactions like that of the Netherlands, which has moved into full lockdown mode to blunt the variant’s spread. Another possibility is simply to not do very much, whether out of pandemic fatigue or uncertainty over the best approach. But the sudden surge in cases has given fresh ...

South Korea‘s electricity demand set a new wintertime high Monday, as the country was gripped by the coldest weather so far this season, the Energy Ministry said. Peak power demand had reached 90,708 megawatts as of 5 p.m., as lower-than-normal temperatures led to increased electricity use for heating, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This season’s first cold wave warni...

Late former President Chun Doo-hwan described a military document recommending a crackdown on the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju as a “good idea,” a fact-finding panel said Monday. Marking the second anniversary of its launch, the May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission released interim results of a probe into the clampdown that led to the deaths of ...

South Korea‘s military approved a plan Monday to locally develop and deploy a reconnaissance and surveillance drone by 2031 to better defend the country’s northwestern border islands, the state arms procurement agency said. The Defense Project Promotion Committee endorsed the project worth 570 billion won ($479 million) for the drone designed to be operated aboard Navy warships and by Marine Cor...

One of the most electrifying performances of the night was the unit performance. Jihyo, Sana and Dahyun opened with “Push & Pull.” Their high-energy performance involved a sofa and handkerchiefs as stage props. Then Nayeon, Momo and Chaeyoung took the baton with “Hello.” The girls appeared in head to toe pink driving a pink van, looking like chic cowgirls. Despite Jeongyeon’s absence, Mina and ...

Local performance planning agency Mast Media has announced the lineup for its upcoming concerts in the next year. A total of 18 scheduled performances featuring globetrotting artists is expected to give hope to audiences. “The Great Pianists Series” will kick off with a show from Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, which is scheduled to take place at Lotte Concert Hall on Feb. 14 and 15. The conce...

Six out of 10 Koreans do not think fried chicken is Korean food, or hansik, according to a survey from a public institution released Monday. The results come from a survey conducted by the Korea Food Promotion Institution in October on 1,500 Korean nationals aged between 19 to 69. Respondents were shown 30 dishes commonly enjoyed by locals and asked whether they thought the dish was “Korean” or ...

Why are we talking about cakes, fine dust, condoms and sunglasses for Christmas? Find out why! Video by Team Konnect Kim Min-jung ( minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com ) Jung Ji-eun ( jungje@heraldcorp.com ) Choi Jeong-yoon ( jychoi@heraldcorp.com ) Kim Jeong-ryul ( ryul@heraldcorp.com ) Cho Eun-bee ( honeybee@heraldcorp.com )

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol visited the city of Seongnam on Monday to demand an independent investigation into a corruption scandal tied to a development project overseen by his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung. Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) renewed his demand for the appointment of a special counsel after arriving on the grounds of the apartment complex built in ...

South Korea plans to sell 13 trillion won ($11 billion) in government bonds in January, the finance ministry said Monday. The ministry will issue 900 billion won in Treasurys with a two-year maturity, 2.5 trillion won with a maturity of three years, 2.5 trillion won in five-year government bonds and 2.6 trillion won with a maturity of 10 years, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. ...

President Moon Jae-in said Monday the life of South Africa's late Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be "remembered in the mind of humanity forever," paying his tributes to the passing of the anti-apartheid icon. In a statement, Moon praised Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90, for showing the power of "forgiveness and reconciliation" throughout revelations of the truth on apartheid-era crimes. Mo...

South Korea said Monday it will inject 642.4 billion won ($541.1 million) on research and development (R&D) in strengthening safety of the country's nuclear reactors by 2029. The budget is part of a five-year plan for 2022-2026 that is focused on reinforcing safety of the country's nuclear industry and to create new strategic business based on accumulated technology. The plan was finalized at a...

We embarked on our journey to look for Super Tuna and guess what we found? Join us! By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung ( minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com ) Jung Ji-eun ( jungje@heraldcorp.com ) Choi Jeong-yoon ( jychoi@heraldcorp.com ) Kim Jeong-ryul ( ryul@heraldcorp.com )

Neighbors left flowers, gifts and heartfelt notes at a roadside clothing donation bin in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, where an infant was found dead earlier this month. The baby -- a boy -- was found by the bin’s operator on Dec. 18, wrapped with a towel. On Sunday, local police arrested a 20-something woman living nearby as a suspect. The woman confessed to having given birth to the baby at home a...