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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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Health

Daewoong Pharmaceutical fined for refusing gov't probe

By Bahk Eun-jiDaewoong Pharmaceutical was fined 5 million won ($4,084) for refusing an administrative probe by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups over allegations that the company stole botulinum toxin (BTX) strains from rival Medytox, the ministry said Monday. The two firms have been in a legal dispute since 2017.Park Young-sun, minister of SME and StartupsMedytox has claimed Dawoong stole its BTX strain and trade secretly through former Medytox employees who joined Daewoong. Daewoong insists it discovered the strain in its lab here. The government, which received a complaint from Medytox in March 2019, requested Daewoong's cooperation in its field investigation into the firm's research lab in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on the grounds that the DNA sequence of registered botox strains from both companies is identical. Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO Jeon Seng-ho“The purpose of the administrative investigation is to resolve an unreasonable situation whereby victims have to prove the fact that their technology was stolen. The SME ministry will continue to develop the system to help sma

Mar 30, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Daewoong Pharmaceutical fined for refusing gov't probe
Health

Gov't to enforce two-week quarantine for all entrants

A pedestrian passes by the closed front gate of Manmin Central Church, Guro, Seoul, Sunday, as a number of its members were detected to have been infected by COVID-19. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government said Sunday that it will enforce a two-week mandatory self-quarantine for all people arriving here from overseas, starting Wednesday, as the number of “imported cases” of COVID-19 is emerging as a problem.“Mandatory self-quarantine measures will be expanded to all people arriving from overseas regardless of their nationality and the period of their stay here as an additional countermeasure to prevent the further spread of the virus,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul.The administration had already enforced a two-week quarantine period and virus tests for all long-term arrivals from Europe, regardless of symptoms. In addition, passengers from the United States for long-term stay have been required to self-isolate at home for two weeks since Friday.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (K

Mar 29, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't to enforce two-week quarantine for all entrants
Society

Teachers oppose April 6 school opening

A teacher gives a lecture through online at Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages in Uiwang City, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMore than 70 percent of teachers of kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools here are expressing concerns over the April 6 start of the new school year with the delayed spring semester, amid lingering concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey showed Sunday.The Ministry of Education (MOE) delayed the spring semester by five weeks amid the spread of the highly-contagious coronavirus and schools are set to begin their academic year that day. According to the Good Teacher Movement, an organization of teachers and educational research center, which conducted the online survey of 4,002 teachers at kindergartens, and elementary and secondary schools nationwide for two days from March 26, 73 percent of respondents said the MOE should extend the school closures due to fear of infection among young children.About 21 percent said schools should open as scheduled April 6, while 6 percent said they “couldn't decide.” Among re

Mar 29, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Teachers oppose April 6 school opening
Foreign Affairs

Exclusive Korea to evacuate 150 nationals from Hungary

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Korean and Hungarian governments, and SK Innovation are working together to bring some 150 Koreans stranded in Hungary back home on a chartered flight, according to the company officials, Friday.SK Innovation's electric vehicle battery plant in Komarom, Hungary. /Courtesy of SK InnovationThe cooperation has come about as the firm plans to send about 300 staff members to Hungary on a chartered flight as part of the ongoing construction of an additional electric vehicle (EV) battery plant there.Amid lockdowns and travel restrictions worldwide due to the COVID-19 outbreak Hungary's government has allowed SK Innovation to dispatch its staff there to aid in the completion of setting up its new production facilities.The foreign ministry suggested that the plane could also be used to return any Korean nationals who are stranded there due to current travel restrictions and who may wish to return to Korea.“The foreign ministry came up with the plan first to bring back Korean residents from Hungary instead of the flight coming back with empty seats,” a company off

Mar 27, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
[Exclusive] Korea to evacuate 150 nationals from Hungary
Health

'Mandatory self-quarantine must for all international arrivals'

Passengers from Germany arrive at the Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Thursday. All passengers from the U.S. and Europe should undergo COVID-19 tests. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiAll passengers arriving from overseas should be placed under a mandatory two-week self-quarantine regardless of their place of departure as Korea has seen the number of “imported” coronavirus infections soar over the past week, according to medical experts, Thursday.The government has already implemented measures for the coronavirus tests on all arrivals from Europe, and those from the United States who show symptoms beginning Friday while it has kept travel restrictions at minimal levels. The strengthened measures came as the country has been observing an increasing number of COVID-19 cases among people coming from abroad despite a gradual decline in domestic numbers. Doctors have strongly warned that all arrivals from overseas should be under stricter monitoring and quarantine measures to contain any possibility of a further spread of the virus.“No country in the world is safe from

Mar 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
'Mandatory self-quarantine must for all international arrivals'
Society

Parents concerned about online classes for schools

A teacher practices giving an online lecture at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Thursday, after the education ministry announced it was considering introducing online classes if the spread of COVID-19 shows few signs of slowing down by April 6, the rescheduled start date for the spring semester. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMany parents are expressing concerns over the government's move to introduce online classes for elementary, middle and high school students starting April 6 as the spread of COVID-19 shows little sign of abating. Education authorities have delayed the spring semester by five weeks amid the spread of the highly-contagious virus and schools are set to begin their academic year on April 6. With continuing concerns over possible mass infections in classrooms, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it is considering opening online classes so that students can take classes on computers at home rather than come to schools. The ministry came up with the plan to help schools meet the statutory required number of school days this year. However, many parents are skeptical

Mar 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Parents concerned about online classes for schools
Law & Crime

Telegram Nth room suspect to stand in 'photo line'

By Bahk Eun-jiThe primary suspect of the so-called Nth room case, who allegedly operated an illegal content ring focused on humiliation and torture of women including underage victims on the Telegram messenger app, will be shown to the public in a press photo line, Wednesday, according to the police Tuesday. This will be the first time for law enforcement authorities to disclose the face of a sex offender.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, a committee consisting of three internal members and four outside members, including lawmakers, university professors, and psychiatrists, decided to disclose the identity of the suspect, Cho Ju-bin, 25, considering his malicious methods of producing and distributing sexually explicit and disturbingly abusive video content of women and minors.“The committee made the decision after reviewing fully the reasons for limiting disclosure of his identity, including the human rights of the suspect and secondary damage to the suspect's family and neighbors,” the police said. Broadcaster SBS revealed the face of Cho Ju-bin, 25, the

Mar 24, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Telegram Nth room suspect to stand in 'photo line'
  • Police chief vows full probe into everyone involved in Telegram child porn case
Society

College students discontent with online lectures

A student listens to an online lecture at a cafe, Seoul, March 16, as schools delayed their opening of spring semester due to COVID-19. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiKim Se-jin, a junior student of Gachon University, said she felt something was missing after logging on to her school's server to listen to lectures last week . “At first, when I accessed my class through the school's online platform, I couldn't hear the professor's voice due to some technical problem. When I was finally able to hear the lecture, I had already missed the first half,” she said.Kim said she has not had technical problems since then, but she found it somewhat difficult to concentrate on the lectures. “I know that alternative options are limited, but online classes fall far behind the quality of classroom lectures because of the loss direct communication with professors. Besides I cannot concentrate on the lecture sometimes when I look at my monitor instead of my professor,” she said. More than 70 percent of university students here are complaining about the inconvenience of the onlin

Mar 24, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
College students discontent with online lectures
Health

Violators of social distancing rules will pay the price, gov't warns

Passengers on a subway train in the Southeastern city of Daegu sit apart, Monday, after the government enforced two weeks of social distancing nationwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe central government and municipal administrations are taking stronger action against some Protestant churches and other institutions that have not followed guidelines aimed at preventing any further spread of the highly-contagious COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Monday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) ordered a ban Monday on worship services at several churches including the Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, which violated quarantine guidelines to prevent the virus spreading. The administrative order was issued after Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun said the government will take stricter measures, including the prohibition of rallies by religious groups that ignore the guidelines. “What the church did was a serious threat to public safety not only for individuals but also for our entire community. The government order should not be taken only as bluff because

Mar 23, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Violators of social distancing rules will pay the price, gov't warns
Law & Crime

Police nab 124 Telegram sex criminals

A screen captured photo from an online petition page run by presidential office, Monday, shows that more than 2.2 million people have signed the petition demanding the police disclose the identity of a man who allegedly ran an illegal pornographic chat room. / Screen captured from presidential office websiteBy Bahk Eun-jiMore than 100 men have been arrested for allegedly being involved in a group chat room where sexual exploitation and assaults on minors were operated via an app named Telegram Messenger, the police said Monday.According to the National Police Agency, a total of 124 men were arrested as of Friday, including the primary suspect, currently known by his surname Cho and his nickname on Telegram “Baksa (doctor),” who appears to be one of individuals who produced and sold the sexually exploitive video content. The pornography ring on Telegram is also accused of blackmailing women and minors into starring in the videos and selling them to other users on the messenger platform, the police said. A man surnamed Cho, who is suspected of running chat rooms on Telegram

Mar 23, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Police nab 124 Telegram sex criminals
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