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Bahk Eun-ji

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.

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Society

Online learning goes mainstream as new normal

By Bahk Eun-jiSeven-year-old Lee Sae-ron was supposed to become a first grader at Eulji Elementary School in Seoul in March at the start of the new school year. Unfortunately, she has been forced to wait, and instead began her first day of school Monday by taking online lessons because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of meeting her friends and homeroom teacher in person, she watched pre-recorded TV programs aired on the state-run Educational Broadcasting System.Lee said she doesn't have any idea of how a normal life at school would be and accepts the idea of attending school through an online platform as a “new normal.” “It's fun watching the educational programs and using a computer tablet to study at home instead of attending class in person. My mom said I must feel sad about not meeting new friends and teachers, but you know, I can't miss friends and teachers whom I've never met,” she said.Hong Eun-hee, 45, Lee's mother, said taking care of her daughter at home all day and helping her engage in remote learning was challenging. But she was surprised tha

Apr 23, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Online learning goes mainstream as new normal
  • Multicultural families shunned from online education
  • Online class platforms plagued with malfunction
  • Working parents of young students struggle with online classes
Society

Working parents of young students struggle with online classes

A third grader in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, watches a lecture on a tablet PC at home. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiWorking parents of first-, second- and third-graders at elementary schools are struggling to find someone to take care of their young children as more of them began the spring semester, Monday. More than 5.4 million elementary, middle and high school students nationwide began the new school year online amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the Ministry of Education's guidelines, first- and second-graders in elementary school were offered TV programs and handout materials rather than taking real-time interactive classes like older students are doing. The programs aired on the state-run Educational Broadcasting System (EBS).However, the parents of the younger students said childcare and learning guidance at home is a problem as the younger students are unlikely to stay focused while sitting in front of televisions or smart devices for more than 40 minutes at a time. Lee Ju-hye, 41, an office worker and mother of an eight-year-old daughter, said she doesn't get the point of the

Apr 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Working parents of young students struggle with online classes
  • Online learning goes mainstream as new normal
Society

KORAIL under fire for manipulating customer survey

By Bahk Eun-jiEmployees of the state-run railway operator manipulated the results of a customer satisfaction survey by pretending to be independent train users to boost customer satisfaction ratings ensuring they would receive larger bonuses, according to a government audit Monday.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said 208 employees of the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) were allegedly involved in the satisfaction survey manipulation. Son Byung-seok, CEO of the Korean Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) /YonhapThe customer satisfaction survey is conducted at least once a year for citizens receiving public services in accordance with the Act on Management of Public Institution. The results are reflected in public institution's management performance evaluation indicators, which are also used as a standard for incentives. Among the total 1,438 survey responses, 222, accounting for 15.4 percent of the total were answered by the employees of the railroad company. Some staff pretended to be customers to deceive survey conductors and participated in the on-site survey two to three times

Apr 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
KORAIL under fire for manipulating customer survey
Health

1 million Koreans treated for cervical disc disease each year

A doctor explains cervical disc disease to a patient at a hospital in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, in this file photo. /Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiNearly 1 million Koreans were treated for cervical degenerative disc disease in 2018, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). Cervical disc disease occurs when one or more of the cushioning discs in the cervical spine begins to deteriorate.Cervical discs work as “cushions” between the vertebrae of the neck. When discs are damaged it can result in significant discomfort, with many experiencing neck and radiating arm pains.Although many cases of neck pain are mild and resolve themselves on their own within a few days, sometimes it can be so painful that it affects a person's daily life, interfering with the ability to sleep, work or drive. According the NHIS data, 959,000 patients were provided with medical expenses for the disease (disease code: M50) in 2018. In 2014, 871,000 were beneficiaries of the insurance, an average annual increase of 2.4 percent. About 269 billion won was spent to trea

Apr 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
1 million Koreans treated for cervical disc disease each year
Health

South Korea poised to extend 'social distancing' for another two weeks

A medical worker checks a visitor's temperature at Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul, Friday, after the hospital was reopened. The hospital was closed following the confirmation of multiple COVID-19 infection cases there in March. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiAs the government debates when to officially ease its nationwide social-distancing campaign, the prime minister renewed calls on citizens to adhere to the restrictions for at least another week or two.“We saw many people out on the streets during the Easter weekend and on election day. We need to have a close look at the possible rapid spread of further cases,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a daily government briefing. While some local news outlets reported the government will extend the campaign for another two weeks, until May 3, Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official in charge of the quarantine effort, said the government was considering an announcement over the weekend.Yoon added the end of official campaign would not necessarily mean the end of social distancing. “Some people get thi

Apr 17, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
South Korea poised to extend 'social distancing' for another two weeks
Society

3.1 million more students begin online classes

A teacher conducts an online class from an empty classroom of Yongsan Elementary School in Seoul, Thursday, as Korea begins the new school year for freshmen and sophomores in secondary schools and fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMore than 3.1 million elementary, middle and high school students nationwide began the spring semester online, Thursday, joining about 800,000 others who have been taking online classes since April 9, according to the Ministry of Education.Fourth to sixth graders in elementary schools as well as freshmen and sophomores at middle and high schools were able to meet their teachers online, after seniors at secondary schools who had already begun the semester last week. Fifth graders at Yongsan Elementary School began their first class with their homeroom teacher Song Mi-kyeong, using a combination of the online class platform of the Education Broadcasting System (EBS), and Zoom, a video conferencing platform. After checking students' attendance by calling out their names at 8:30 a.m., Song let the 23 s

Apr 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
3.1 million more students begin online classes
Society

Safety concerns mounting over electric scooters

By Bahk Eun-jiSafety concerns are growing over the use of electric scooters, as a number of related accidents took place in recent weeks, according to the police Tuesday.According to Haeundae Police Agency, a driver in her 30s who was using an electric scooter while drunk was arrested in Busan, Tuesday. The woman fell off the vehicle after hitting obstacles in the road at 4:55 a.m. near Seomyeon Station. She was not wearing any safety equipment. A police officer who was patrolling the area tried to help her and offer treatment, but the officer confirmed she was drunk when she attempted to flee the site. A Lime scooter is broken after being hit by a car in Busan, Sunday. The driver in his 30s was killed on the spot, police said. /YonhapPolice said her blood alcohol concentration level was 0.08 percent, which was enough to warrant the revocation of her driver's license. She was confirmed to have been using an electric scooter from Lime, a mobility company from the United States. The previous day, a man in his 30s was hit and killed by a car while riding an electric scooter at night in

Apr 14, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Safety concerns mounting over electric scooters
Society

Online class platforms plagued with malfunction

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae speaks during her visit to EBS headquarters in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, to check ongoing preparations for the second online-school opening, scheduled for Thursday. /Yonhap.By Bahk Eun-jiFrequent malfunctions of distance learning platforms used by elementary, middle and high schools amid the COVID-19 outbreak are raising concerns over the scheduled second phase of online-school opening, Thursday, according to officials, Tuesday. The unprecedented online-only spring semester for high school students and middle school seniors began April 9.According to the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), which runs e-Learning site, a learning management system (LMS) for schools across the country, there were access failures from 9:50 a.m., Tuesday. The e-Learning site provides learning materials tailored to the curriculum for first grade at elementary schools through seniors at middle schools. Teachers can open “online classes” on the site and manage them through the LMS. KERIS said it has been working on server recovery.&ldq

Apr 14, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Online class platforms plagued with malfunction
  • Online learning goes mainstream as new normal
Society

Multicultural families shunned from online education

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Korea Association for Supporting Youth from Multicultural Family (KASYMF), an advocacy group for multiracial families in Korea, voiced concern Tuesday that children in such families may have limited access to online classes as some parents may not own smart devices and not know how to supervise remote learning for their children.As part of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, overseers of Korea's education system and educators have been forced to consider changes to student learning activities. A teacher gives a lecture during an online class at Seoul Girls' High School in Seoul, April 9. /Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Education (MOE) earlier postponed the new school year several times after unexpected infection clusters occurred among young students.Yet despite the various strategies being employed there remain concerns over the deployment of online education and potential disadvantages for some students.

Apr 13, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Multicultural families shunned from online education
  • Online learning goes mainstream as new normal
Society

Unemployment allowance hits record high amid pandemic

People line up in front of an office run by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in Seoul, Monday, to apply for unemployment benefits. The amount of state allowances paid to those unemployed or seeking jobs soared to a record high in March due mainly to the negative economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe amount paid out to jobseekers and people who are unemployed broke another record in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the country's economic and business activities, data showed Monday.According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the government's monthly unemployment and job search allowance payments totaled 898.2 billion won ($737 million) in March, soaring 40.4 percent from 639.7 billion won in the same month last year. It also hit a fresh high, surpassing the previous record of 781.9 billion won in February. Job search allowance is a type of unemployed benefit paid by the government to the employment insurance fund to support those who lose their jobs. Freelancers and the self-employed are not covered by the state-run unemploy

Apr 13, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Unemployment allowance hits record high amid pandemic
  • S. Korea to create 1.56 million jobs in public sector
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