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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Parents of preschoolers at loss over delayed spring semester
By Bahk Eun-jiParents are struggling to find care for their young children after the government ordered all kindergartens, and elementary, middle and high schools to delay their new school year by a week amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. As a result, the spring semester will begin March 9.A preschool in Seoul has its front door closed after the government recommended all schools nationwide delay opening for the spring semester to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Korea Times fileFollowing the measure, an emergency care service for preschool and elementary-age children of working parents has been put in place. However, while most parents are reluctant to increase the risk of infection by allowing their young children to attend the emergency care service, many face a dilemma as alternative options are limited. This is the first time in Korea's modern history that schools have been ordered to close temporarily to prevent the spread of a virus.In addition, while preschool and elementary school teachers continue to work as part of the emergency service, school buses have
Gov't to conduct coronavirus tests on all Shincheonji followers
A letter, posted online Monday, written by Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, saying the church is cooperating with the government's quarantine efforts. /Screen capture from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus homepageBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government will conduct coronavirus tests on all followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, as the religious group agreed to provide a complete list of its members, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSC) announced Tuesday.As soon as the government secures the list of members, it will conduct diagnostic tests on all of them, starting with high-risk groups. Lee Man-hee, founder of Shincheonji Church of Jesus /Korea Times fileThe move comes as about 60 percent of all infected patients have been linked to the church sect in the southeastern city of Daegu. The minor religious group has been the target of public anger since it was revealed to be connected to the recent surge in coronavirus infections in the region. Korea has reported 977 cases of the highly contagious virus, with 10 deaths, according to t
Shincheonji stokes public anger for 'acting as victim'
Quarantine officials disinfect a branch of the minor religious sect Shincheonji in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Monday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which has been linked to more than half of Korea's COVID-19 cases, is facing mounting criticism for the claim that Shincheonji members were the “biggest victims of the coronavirus,” according to critics Monday.Since posting a video clip on YouTube Sunday, the veiled homegrown religious group has been the target of public anger because its churches turned out to be hotbeds for the recent surge in coronavirus infections in the southeastern regions of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. In the video clip, a representative of the church said they will fight against the media's “groundless” reports and rumors about them. The church also claimed they were “the biggest victims of a virus that came from China,” and they were deeply concerned about media claims that the church has been hiding something about the virus infection.“We are urging you to stop the baseless hatred a
Korea overwhelmed by soaring number of new coronavirus cases
A quarantine official disinfects a branch of the minor religious sect Shincheonji in Seodaemun, Seoul, Friday. The majority of new coronavirus patients in recent days were either members of the religious group or people they have come in contact with. Yonhap102 new patients confirmed as of 10 p.m. FridayBy Bahk Eun-jiThe coronavirus infection here reached “an epidemic proportion” Friday as 102 people were confirmed to have contracted the highly-contagious virus, raising the total to 206, according to government officials.The number of COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) infections has quadrupled from 51 Wednesday with most new cases being traced to church services in the southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). On Thursday, 53 new cases were reported. The total accumulated number of confirmed cases in Daegu and its neighboring North Gyeongsang Province stood at 153, with the number of cases linked to a Daegu church coming to 128. The number of confirmed cases at the Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu, stood at 16, includi
Gov't to isolate Chinese students from communities
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, left, and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, attend an emergency meeting to establish a series of measures for managing Chinese students set to return for spring semester next week, at Seoul City Hall, Friday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government unveiled measures Friday to isolate Chinese students from local communities when they return from the mainland for the spring semester to prevent them possibly spreading the coronavirus on and off campus.The students have been advised to quarantine themselves for 14 days after their arrival. The Ministry of Education (MOE) said it will closely cooperate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and university officials to monitor Chinese students in the capital city.“The series of measures comes amid growing fears of the possible spread of the contagious virus on university campuses here as the most number of Chinese students are expected to enter Korea from next week,” said Kim Gyu-tae, a deputy director general in the higher education policy division at the MOE, during a press briefing at the Governmen
Disinfecting Gwanghwamun Square
Quarantine officials disinfect Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Thursday, as a new coronavirus case was reported in the capital city during the day. /Yonhap
Campuses feared to become virus hotbed
Quarantine officials disinfect a dormitory for foreign students at Chosun University in Gwangju, Thursday, amid coronavirus fears, ahead of the start of the spring semester next month. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiUniversity campuses here have the potential to become hotbeds for the coronavirus when nearly 70,000 Chinese students return for the spring semester, according to medical experts and university officials, Thursday.The officials said their campuses cannot be properly quarantined or monitored as the schools are not equipped to manage possible infectious outbreaks, stressing that any infected Chinese nationals could easily give the virus to other students when they come into close contact with one another.Medical experts said stopping the inflow of possible coronavirus carriers to the universities was the most effective way to contain the virus. “As long as the number of deaths and confirmed cases keeps rapidly rising in China, the government should block people from the mainland including university students who have yet to come to Korea,” said Korean Medical Association
Ex-president gets 17-year jail term
Former President Lee Myung-bak shakes hands with his supporters after arriving at the Seoul High Court, Wednesday, to attend a trial. The appellate court increased Lee's prison sentence to 17 years from 15 on bribery and embezzlement charges and took him back into custody after he was released on bail. He is also ordered to pay a 13 billion won fine. Yonhap
'Chinese students must be banned from entering Korea'
Chinese students at Honam University in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, enter a school dormitory, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, Tuesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMedical experts and university officials called on the government Wednesday to ban Chinese students from entering Korea amid mounting fears that they could bring the coronavirus with them.The Korea Medical Association (KMA), the nation's largest doctors group, which has been calling for the controversial entry ban, stepped up its calls after the health authorities confirmed 22 more cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. It said the contagious virus has been spreading rapidly in local communities.Universities are also struggling to find ways of managing their Chinese students as nearly 70,000 students are set to return to South Korea for the spring semester. Although health authorities and the Ministry of Education announced a series of initiatives to better manage and prevent the possible spread of the novel virus, the KMA said that restrictions on entry from China is the most urgent action from the government ne