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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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Politics

TBS urged to fire podcaster for his disparaging remarks about Daegu

By Bahk Eun-jiCalls are growing for TBS Radio to dismiss Kim Eo-jun, a liberal-minded political commentator who hosts a controversial radio show, for his disparaging remarks about Daegu, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and its citizens, according to his critics Tuesday.A petition to remove Kim from the show on a Cheong Wa Dae website has been posted, while a conservative civic group has filed a complaint against him with the National Human Rights Commission, accusing him of violating the human rights of Daegu residents.Kim Eo-jun /Korea Times fileOn an episode of “Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,” a program he hosts on TBS Radio, that aired last Friday, Kim blamed the recent novel coronavirus outbreak on Daegu and followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. “If China is responsible for the spread of COVID-19, why is only one out of 100,000 people in the Seoul metropolitan confirmed infected? The numbers tell the truth,” Kim said during the radio show. He then said two face masks are enough for a week, but there are too many people who are anxious about

Mar 10, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
TBS urged to fire podcaster for his disparaging remarks about Daegu
Society

Greenpeace warns of high radiation levels at Olympic venues in Fukushima

Greenpeace radiation survey team investigates radiation levels in Tsushima, Namie exclusion zone, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Nov.1, 2019. /Courtesy of GreenpeaceBy Bahk Eun-jiA new survey shows that radiation hot spots are still being found in Fukushima, Japan, which is supposed to be a host of part of the Olympic torch relay and several sporting events this summer, according to Greenpeace, Tuesday.In its report, “Recontamination and weather-related effects in Fukushima,” Greenpeace said a number of locations recorded significantly higher levels of radiation than average at key Olympic venues in Fukushima Prefecture, despite the Japanese government's efforts to carry out extensive decontamination work since a 2011 tsunami triggered a meltdown at the nuclear power plant there. The survey, which was conducted over three weeks in October and November last year, found concentrated radiation levels throughout the prefecture. These areas were where radioactivity was observed at higher levels than in previous years.The Japanese government hopes the Olympic games will be able t

Mar 10, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Greenpeace warns of high radiation levels at Olympic venues in Fukushima
Health

New cases of infections drop for third day

Medical workers transfer a coronavirus patient to Seonam Hospital in Seoul, a government designated facility for patients with severe symptoms, Monday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Bahk Eun-jiThe number of new coronavirus infections declined for the third straight day Monday as the government nears the completion of tests on members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious sect at the center of the rapid spread of the highly-contagious virus, according to officials. But they added that the administration remains on high alert over possible new clusters of infections outside Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, which have been hit hardest by the coronavirus over the past month.As of 9 p.m. Monday, the government reported 96 new infections, bringing the country's total to 7,478 with 54 fatalities, mostly elderly patients with underlying conditions, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).The KCDC said the number of new cases was also below the average daily increase of 500 last week, and the lowest number since Feb. 26, when new cases drop

Mar 9, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
New cases of infections drop for third day
  • US Army restricts travel to, from S. Korea over new coronavirus
  • 'My husband died from coronavirus yesterday': a tearful account from Daegu
  • Virus patients caught concealing travel history to face heavy punishment
Society

College students calling for tuition refund

By Bahk Eun-jiUniversity students are calling on the government to pressure universities to refund part of their tuition for the spring semester after the schools delayed on-campus classes until March 22 amid the continued coronavirus outbreak, according to the student councils union, Monday.A professor gives an online lecture in this file photo. Korea Times fileThe Association of Student Councils Network, the union of the nation's 27 university student councils, said it had met officials from the Ministry of Education and asked for a refund of part of student's tuition because of the delay in opening as compensation for the period that online lectures have replaced classes. The union said that the colleges should refund the tuition for this spring semester if they are not offering classroom lectures until March 22, instead of March 2. “We demanded that tuition be refunded and encouraged each school to guarantee student participation in their coronavirus response taskforces,” the union said after the meeting with the education ministry. A petition for tuition compensation

Mar 9, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
College students calling for tuition refund
Society

Japan's plan for radioactive water defies international law

By Duncan E. J. Currie and Shaun BurnieMillions of tons of highly contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi being discharged into the Pacific Ocean not only poses a threat to humans and the environment, but also raises questions on how the decision by the Japanese government relates to international law.Duncan CurrieWhat we conclude is that the decision by the Japanese government to treat and then release radioactive water at Fukushima into the ocean would pose a direct threat to the marine environment, including that of the jurisdictional waters of the Korean peninsula. As such, Japan would be in breach of its obligations as defined under international environmental law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).Consequently, the Korean government has the legal right to oppose the discharging of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.The discharge of radioactive materials into the marine environment from the nuclear plant will inevitably increase marine species' exposure to radioactivity, with the exact level of exposure depending on

Mar 9, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Japan's plan for radioactive water defies international law
Health

Korea remains on alert over mass infections of COVID-19

Staff at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, checks doctors with novel coronavirus symptoms at a screening facility, Friday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government is on high alert over the soaring number of COVID-19 infections at medical institutions and nursing homes, as it struggles to identify the vector for the spread of the virus, officials said Friday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 309 new cases as of 9 p.m. Friday, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 6,593. On Thursday alone, Korea reported 518 new cases. Among the 518, 69 percent of the confirmed cases were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, while 49 new cases have been identified stemming from the Pureun Nursing Home in Bonghwa, a long-term care facility in North Gyeongsang Province. With the latest infections occurring at medical facilities, health officials in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said a general hospital in the city has temporarily halted operations after eight staff members and patie

Mar 6, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea remains on alert over mass infections of COVID-19
Society

Gov't to extend emergency child care service

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, second from left, speaks at a government press briefing on the emergency child care service in Seoul, Friday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiEmergency child care services at kindergartens and elementary schools will be now available for an extra two hours until 7 p.m. to help take care of children whose parents both work, the education ministry said Friday, in an effort to help families cope with childcare amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.The coronavirus outbreak has caused all schools in Korea to postpone the start of the spring semester by three weeks, until the third week of March. The government has had kindergartens and elementary schools offer an emergency child care service for young children with no parents at home during the day. Originally, the service ran until 5 p.m., however the two-hour extension came as many working parents ― especially in the private sector ― struggled to be able to take care of their children from that time. “The Ministry of Education (MOE) is urging parents and students to refrain from using multi-use facilities

Mar 6, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't to extend emergency child care service
Health

Gout: painful disease you need to know

A man rubs his foot to relieve gout symptoms. According to government data, 430,953 people were diagnosed with gout in 2018. /Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiGout is an intensely painful form of arthritis that can affect anyone, but more commonly affects men. The disease is on the rise in the country as Korean diets include more processed and high-fat foods, as well as high-protein ingredients. An attack of gout usually involves severe pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in the joints, often, specifically, the joint at the base of the big toe.While the stereotypical image of a patient with gout is often an overweight, middle-aged man, the illness is, in fact, not as rare in younger adults as one might think. When Lim Seung-joon, 27, an office worker in Seoul, first experienced unusual pain and swelling in his feet last June, he visited an orthopedic doctor.“My doctor said it was because of a back strain, and recommended that I have spinal manipulative therapy, but my foot didn't get any better. I finally visited a rheumatologist and found out I was suffering from gout, after w

Mar 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gout: painful disease you need to know
Society

Private cram schools hit by virus outbreak

A woman passes a closed front door of a private study school in Seoul, Wednesday, due to fears of COVID-19 virus spreading. /Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwonBy Bahk Eun-jiHagwons, or private cram schools, are grappling with financial difficulties as they remain closed due to many parents' growing reluctance to send children to them amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak, according to the association that represents them, Thursday.The Korea Association of Hagwons (KAH) said it has appealed to the government to support half of a hagwon's monthly losses based on the amount they reported to the National Tax Service to help educators in the private education industry continue to make a living. The association said private cram schools have already spent a lot of money on disinfecting their buildings and purchasing hygiene products to prevent the spread of the contagious virus among their students. “If the period we should close the doors of our institutes is prolonged, many of our members will not be able to recover financially,” the KAH President Park Jong-deok said.38-yea

Mar 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Private cram schools hit by virus outbreak
Health

Koreans hit by 'corona blues' amid outbreak

Pedestrians wearing masks walk along a road nearby Yeouido Station, Seoul, Monday. /Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiMany people are seeking psychological counseling due to anxiety about the COVID-19 outbreak here, according to the state-run trauma center, Thursday, as the country has the most number of infections outside of China.The National Center for Disaster Trauma (NCDT) said its staff had conducted 540 telephone counseling sessions concerning psychological issues relating to the spread of COVID-19 between Jan. 29, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a “public health emergency of international concern,” and March 1. During the same period, more than 18,000 sessions were conducted by regional mental health welfare centers across the country for those under self-quarantine or isolation. The trauma center, an affiliated organization of the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), is in charge of psychological counseling and treatment for confirmed pa

Mar 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Koreans hit by 'corona blues' amid outbreak
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