WASHINGTON -- President Park Geun-hye kicked off her official four-day visit to Washington on Tuesday to seek fresh momentum in reinforcing the alliance with the U.S., and bringing the focus back on North Korea’s nuclear ambition. Expectations are high for the South Korean leader as her trip to Washington comes at a critical juncture in dealing with North Korea amid looming provocations from the North, such as a long-range missile launch, and subtle tensions following Seoul’s closer relations wi

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Angus Deaton of Britain and the United States won the Nobel Economics Prize on Monday for his work on consumption, poverty and welfare, the jury said."By emphasising the links between individual consumption decisions and outcomes for the whole economy, his work has helped transform modern microeconomics, macroeconomics and development economics," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said."To design economic policy that promotes welfare and reduces poverty, we must first unders

Nearly 70 percent of foreign workers in South Korea receive less than 2 million won ($1,700) in monthly wages with the intragroup salary disparity being as wide as 53-fold, a report showed Wednesday.Statistics submitted by the National Tax Service to Rep. Lee In-young showed that of the 479,527 reported foreign workers, 323,100 were subject to taxation. The total payroll reached 9.45 trillion won. The number of those subject to taxes had increased by 138 percent since 2008, while the total wages

Third-term Rep. Park Joo-sun bolted from the main opposition party to create a new one Tuesday, claiming the New Political Alliance for Democracy had run its course under the current leadership.The prosecutor-turned-politician said at a press conference that he would move to reorganize the opposition bloc and build an alternative political force, dealing yet another blow to NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in. Rep. Park Joo-sun answers reporters` questions at the National Assembly on Tuesday. YonhapP

The political dynamics in the beleaguered main opposition party took a new twist Sunday as Ahn Cheol-soo, former cochairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, proposed alternative ways to fight corruption to reform the party.At a separate news conference, former NPAD member Rep. Chun Jung-bae announced the launch of a new opposition party by January next year.The two, who are considered potential rivals to NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in’s political clout, were seen to turn up the heat a