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.
Deep sea divers from the Navy’s Salvage and Diving Unit, part of the Special Warfare Flotilla, participate in swimming drills during winter cold-water training at Jinhae Naval Port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. Temperatures in the area dropped to minus 6 degrees Celsius, with wind chills reaching as low as minus 11 degrees. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
![[PHOTOS] Navy power: winter training in icy waters](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Thursday proposed a merger with the minor progressive Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), a move that could reshape the political landscape ahead of the June 3 local elections. The proposal, however, has drawn a mix of support and skepticism both within and outside the ruling party. DPK Chairman Jung Chung-rae formally floated the idea during a press briefing at the National Assembly, calling on the RKP to join forces under a single banner. “I propose that we merge and move forward together,” he said. “There is no reason for us to contest the local elections separately.” Framing the proposal as a step toward unity within the broader liberal camp, Jung said the two parties have already stood together at critical political moments. “We opposed the Yoon Suk Yeol administration together, overcame the martial law crisis together and worked together to bring about the Lee Jae Myung administration,” he said. “What the times demand now is victory in the local elections and the success of the current government.” Jung added that the DPK was re
A Seoul court sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison on Wednesday over his involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, finding Han guilty of aiding an insurrection and playing a central role in its execution. The ruling marked the judiciary’s first explicit determination on whether the martial law declaration constituted an act of insurrection. The decision is expected to heavily influence the ongoing trial of the former president, for which a verdict on insurrection charges is scheduled for next month. The jail term for Han was heavier than the special prosecution's earlier request of 15 years. Han was taken into custody immediately following the ruling. “The declaration of martial law was issued with the purpose of undermining the constitutional order, and constituted an act of insurrection,” the Seoul Central District Court said. It added that Han, as the country’s second-highest-ranking official, failed to take sufficient steps to prevent the declaration and instead became involved in procedures to
The government will provide up to 40 trillion won ($27.2 billion) to support merger plans to turn four local governments into two so-called integrated special cities as part of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s push to strengthen regional development and decentralization. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced the plan during a press briefing in Seoul, Friday, saying the government would provide up to 5 trillion won a year for up to four years to each integrated special city formed through administrative mergers. The announcement comes as Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, as well as Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, are seeking administrative integration, a step that would reshape local governance and carry political implications ahead of local elections in June. “Local governments that merge will be given clear incentives and a matching level of autonomy and responsibility,” Kim said, “Balanced regional development is not a policy meant to favor certain regions but a survival strategy for the country’s future.” Under the government’s plan, integrated special cities
The main opposition People Power Party’s internal rift deepened Thursday after its leadership postponed a final decision on whether to expel former party leader Han Dong-hoon, highlighting doubts about the party’s ability to manage its own internal conflicts. The move came despite an earlier ruling by the party’s ethics committee to expel Han, a decision that had already triggered strong backlash within the conservative party. By declining to confirm the expulsion at the highest decision-making level, the leadership effectively slowed the process and drew further criticism that the party is drifting without clear direction. The dispute stems from what has been called the “party member bulletin board incident,” involving posts critical of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife on the PPP’s internal online board. The posts were made using accounts linked to Han’s family members. An internal review found that several of these accounts, all registered under Han’s relatives’ names, were accessed from the same few internet addresses, suggesting the activity may have be
Korea’s Marine Corps is undergoing a structural overhaul often described as a shift toward a “quasi-fourth service” system — a term that suggests elevation, but not full independence. The reform does not create a new military branch alongside the Army, Navy and Air Force. Instead, it redefines how the Marines are commanded and what responsibilities they formally carry out, while keeping them institutionally within the Navy. Defense officials say the goal is to correct a long-standing imbalance between authority and responsibility, rather than to expand the force or alter Korea’s joint command system. At the center of the change is operational control — who commands Marine units in peacetime and who is responsible when crises arise. Long-standing command imbalance Although the Marine Corps Headquarters was reestablished in 1987, its main combat units have not been under full Marine control for decades. Since 1973, the Army has had operational control of the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions, leaving the Marine Corps with administrative authority but limited command over its own fro
A special counsel team on Tuesday sought the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of leading an insurrection through the unconstitutional declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The court plans to hand down its ruling on Feb. 19. The special prosecutors of the team described the martial law declaration as “an unprecedented and grave act of constitutional destruction.” The request for capital punishment came during the closing hearing of Yoon’s criminal trial, marking a pivotal moment in one of the most consequential cases in Korea’s modern constitutional history. Under Korea’s Criminal Act, the crime of leading an insurrection carries only three possible penalties: death, life imprisonment with labor or life imprisonment without labor. Fixed-term sentences and suspended sentences are not permitted. The prosecutors argued that Yoon was ultimately responsible for attempting to undermine the constitutional order by mobilizing the armed forces and police to suppress the National Assembly. Prosecutors said the actions posed a serious threat to democrat
The South Korean government has launched an intensive investigation into an allegation that a South Korean drone crossed the border into North Korea, presuming that the drone, if really from the South, was launched by civilians and not the military. The investigation by the Lee Jae Myung administration is focused on showing Pyongyang that it has no intention to provoke, as it has been desperately seeking a breakthrough in stalled inter-Korean talks. According to the presidential office, Lee ordered a swift and thorough joint investigation by military and police to identify the responsible party, saying that if a civilian drone did indeed enter North Korean territory, it would constitute “a serious crime that threatens national security and peace on the Korean Peninsula.” In a statement released Sunday, the presidential office reiterated that the government had “no intention to provoke or incite the North in any way.” “The military will conduct a first-stage probe, which will be followed by a joint examination with the police. The government will make the findings public promptl
Conflicting accounts have emerged over the status of a U.S. Army aviation unit in South Korea. A congressional report described the unit as “deactivated.” However, both Korea's Ministry of National Defense and U.S. military officials said no decision has been made. The issue centers on the 5th Air Cavalry Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (5-17 ACS), a U.S. Army unit stationed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which has carried out reconnaissance missions for the combined ROK-U.S. division. Since its activation in 2022, the squadron has operated AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and remotely piloted reconnaissance assets. A report updated on Dec. 31, 2025, by the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) stated that the U.S. Army deactivated the 5-17 ACS on Dec. 15, 2025, as part of the Army Transformation Initiative, a broader effort to restructure force posture and modernize capabilities. While the CRS language was unambiguous, subsequent explanations from Seoul have created uncertainty rather than clarity. Korea's Ministry of National Defense said on Tuesday it had
The lunch rush was in full swing at a small restaurant in Ulsan when a sudden shout cut through the noise. “119! 119!” Two high school students working part-time in the dining hall looked up at the same moment. An elderly customer in his 80s was sitting motionless at a table, unresponsive. Other diners froze, unsure how to react. Yoon Jae-joon of Daesong High School and Moon Hyun-seo of Hwaam High School, both second-year students, had little time to think. Moon rushed to the man’s side, gently lowering him to the floor and tilting his head back to secure his airway. Yoon checked for breathing, found almost none, and immediately began chest compressions. Without exchanging words, the two divided their roles. After about two minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the man regained consciousness. Shortly afterward, paramedics arrived and took him to a nearby hospital. He survived. When asked later how he had been able to act so calmly, Yoon attributed it not to heroism, but to repetition. His father is a member of the special rescue team at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and had instru