Society
Yangjae Stream to close
Workers install a notice at Yangjae Stream in Gangnam, Seoul, informing people that it has been closed for the weekend in order to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. /Yonhap
Apr 3, 2020
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
Daughter follows in mother's footsteps as special education teacher
Kim Eun-suk, left, poses for a photo with her daughter Ko Eun-seok, at Ewha Woman's University campus in Seoul, March 20. /Courtesy of Ewha Woman's UniversityBy Bahk Eun-jiKo Eun-seok, 25, a recent Ehwa Woman's University graduate, has started on the path to becoming a special education teacher, following in the footsteps of her mother, Kim Eun-suk, 55.When Kim was first told her daughter had passed her elementary teacher certification examination for special education with the highest score, she said she couldn't have been prouder.“My mom was especially proud of me because she didn't think I would work to become a special education teacher when I first entered Ewha Woman's University in 2015,” Ko said. “At first I wanted to become a civil servant or a school teacher. I never thought about teaching students with special needs.”Kim graduated from the Special Education Department at Ewha Woman's University in 1988. After completing her master's and doctorate degrees at the school, she worked as a teacher for 12 years, starting at Seoul National School for the Bl
Apr 3, 2020
Law & Crime
Court denies arrest warrant for Chong Kun Dang heir
By Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul Central District court denied a request for a warrant to arrest the eldest son of Chong Kun Dang Holdings, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, who is accused of filming and distributing sex videos through his social media accounts, Friday.The court said arresting the eldest son, identified by his surname Lee, 33, would not be necessary at this stage of the investigation. The Seoul Central District court dismissed a request for a warrant to arrest the eldest son of Chong Kun Dang Holdings, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, accused of filming and distributing sex videos through his social media accounts, Friday. /Korea Times file“In addition, victims didn't want him to be punished,” said Judge Choi Chang-hoon of the Seoul Central District Court as he denied the arrest warrant request.The suspect closed his account on Twitter where he uploaded the video clips.According to Seoul Hyehwa Police Station, Lee has recently been accused of violating the Special Act on Crimes of Sexual Violence, by sharing on Twitter secretly recorded videos of him having sex with di
Apr 3, 2020
Health
Citizens lend support to combating COVID-19 outbreak in Daegu
An exhausted medical worker wearing full protective suit rests on a chair after treating COVID-19 patients at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in Daegu, in this Feb. 23 file photo. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea has been successfully handling COVID-19 containment although the country has been one of the hardest-hit nations outside of China. Slowdown of the outbreak can be achieved not only by the government's actions to fight against the virus, but also by the public's active contribution to overcome the outbreak. Since the first patient was confirmed in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here on Feb. 18, rescue workers, volunteers and medical workers from all parts of the country have volunteered to help the affected region.While the city observed a great surge in numbers of infections at the end of last month, Daegu Medical Association President Lee Seong-koo appealed to his fellow doctors to lend a helping hand in the desperate fight against COVID-19. Hundreds of doctors and nurses ― from doctors working at general hospitals to those running their own clinics ― have
Apr 3, 2020
Health
'Korea's health care system sets example for Iran, Vietnam'
Kim Yong-ik, president of National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), speaks during an interview with the Korea Times at the NHIS office in Yeouido, Seoul, Feb.20. /Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Eil-chulKim Yong-ik, president of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), is known to be the Moon Jae-in administration's healthcare policymaker. Dubbed “Mooncare,” the government's goal is to expand the coverage ratio of the national health insurance to 70 percent of all medical expenses within the President's five-year term.The basic concept of Mooncare is expanding the coverage of the state-run health insurance. As Koreans have a strong desire for equality, and equal access to healthcare, Mooncare has been regarded as a policy supported by the majority. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last November, 63 percent responded in favor of the policy. “Korea has been setting a successful example with its national health insurance system, which many countries such as Iran, Vietnam and Philippines are trying to follow
Apr 3, 2020
Society
Back to school with online classes - will it work?
A reporter attends an online class demonstrated by a teacher at the Korea Biological Science High School in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiStudents are set to begin the new school year with online classes next week, while schools remain physically closed amid growing fears that crowded classrooms could turn into breeding grounds for COVID-19.As questions about whether students and schools are ready for the online classes are drawing public attention, Kim Soo-jeong, a teacher at the Korea Biological Science High School in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, demonstrated a real-time remote class during a press conference Thursday. Kim conducted a demonstration with the press to show how teachers check attendance of students and the progress of classes by using a number of tools, such as Zoom, a video conferencing platform; Class 123, a classroom management tool; One Note, a digital note-taking app; Google Form, a survey administration app; and messenger Kakao Talk. Zoom allowed teachers and students (reporters for today) to see each other's faces and h
Apr 2, 2020
Society
Greenpeace denounces bailout of Doosan Heavy Industries
Activists from Greenpeace, Solutions for Our Climate, and Gyeongnam Korean Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM), hold a press conference at KDB headquarters, Wednesday, Seoul, to stop the financial support to Doosan Heavy & Construction. /Courtesy of GreenpeaceBy Bahk Eun-jiGreenpeace is criticizing the Korea Development Bank (KDB) for 1 trillion won ($810 million) in emergency loans it recently extended to Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction amid the COVID-19 outbreak here.The group held a press conference in front of the KDB building in Seoul with a number of environmental organizations including Solutions for Our Climate and Gyeongnam Korean Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM), arguing that the loan from the KDB and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Exim Bank) to Doosan Heavy Industries supports a company that derives nearly 80 percent of its sales from coal-fired power plant construction. Coal power plants are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.According to Greenpeace, Doosan Heavy's financial crisis was due to the loss of coal pow
Apr 2, 2020
Health
Korea's coronavirus infections approaching 10,000
A passenger arriving from Germany enters into a government-designated quarantine facility in Gwangju, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe number of Coronavirus infections is fast approaching 10,000 as cluster outbreaks and imported cases continue to increase, health authorities said Tuesday.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 125 new infections were confirmed Monday, bringing the nation's total to 9,786. Among them, 29 cases were detected at immigration quarantine checkpoints, bringing the total number of the imported cases to 518. Of the newly reported, 60 were in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, following mass infections at a hospital. The death toll rose by four to 162. In Seoul, 24 additional cases were detected after more confirmed cases were reported at a church. Gyeonggi Province reported 13 new infections, while Incheon, west of Seoul, recorded six new cases.The government plans to enforce a two-week mandatory self-quarantine measure to all passengers arriving from abroad starting Wednesday in order to effectively contain t
Mar 31, 2020
Health
South Korea goes online to resume public education amid pandemic
A teacher demonstrates an online lecture in a classroom at Gosaek High School in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, as schools will begin their spring semester with online classes April 9 following repeated delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. /YonhapState college entrance exam is rescheduled for Dec. 3By Bahk Eun-jiElementary, middle and high schools will begin their spring semester April 9 through online classes, meaning schools nationwide will remain physically closed for the foreseeable future, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday. It added that the state college entrance exam set for Nov. 19 will be delayed by two weeks, following the rescheduling of the new school year. Kindergartens, and elementary, and secondary schools were originally set to open March 2, but due to the possibility of cluster infections in classrooms filled with students, the ministry postponed the start of the spring semester on three separate occasions before opting for April 6. The decision comes amid concerns over the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 among young children especially in schools w
Mar 31, 2020
Society
Preparing online class
A teacher prepares an online lecture in a classroom of Samil Technical High Shool in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, in preparation for another possible delay to the start of the new school year amid the continued spread of COVID-19. Schools are currently set to open on April 6. /Yonhap
Mar 30, 2020