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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

More than 20% of senior presidential aides own multiple homes

More than one in five senior presidential aides were found to own multiple homes, highlighting a gap between President Lee Jae Myung’s hardline housing policymaking directive and the reality within his own office. According to data released Thursday by the Government Public Ethics Committee, 10 out of 47 senior aides at the presidential office — those at the senior secretary or secretary level — owned two or more homes as of the end of last year, accounting for 21.3 percent. Among them, two of 11 senior secretaries and eight of 33 secretaries were classified as multi-home owners. Kim Sang-ho, chief press secretary, reported owning seven properties, the highest number among the aides. Other senior aides were found to hold multiple apartments or mixed-use residential buildings in Seoul and surrounding areas. The number rises further when broader real estate holdings are included. When officetels, commercial buildings and partial ownership of housing units are counted, 18 aides — or 38.3 percent — were found to hold multiple properties, highlighting the extent of real estate expos

Mar 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
More than 20% of senior presidential aides own multiple homes
  • Where to draw line on Lee's push to bar officials with multiple homes from housing policymaking?
Defense

Korea weighs noncombat role in Hormuz tension

The Korean government is leaning toward offering diplomatic and other nonmilitary support for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, rather than sending troops, amid Washington's growing pressure for allies to help stabilize shipping routes in the region. A senior official of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Monday that the government’s position on the issue is taking shape gradually, pointing to Korea’s participation in a joint statement led by seven countries as a key example. The foreign ministry said earlier that Korea joined the statement initiated by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Canada, which strongly condemned Iran’s effective closure of the strait and attacks on civilian vessels and energy infrastructure. The official added that Seoul has consistently stressed the importance of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and will continue to respond in a measured manner. The presidential office said high-level consultations with the U.S. and other countries are ongoing through multiple channels. At the same time, Seou

Mar 23, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea weighs noncombat role in Hormuz tension
Defense

Korea ramps up bid for Canada's $44 bil. submarine deal

Korea is ramping up efforts to secure Canada’s submarine procurement project, with Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Lee Yong-cheol saying the outcome remains too close to call. “It is difficult to say at this point whether we will win or lose,” Lee said during a press briefing at MND Center in Yongsan, Seoul, Thursday. Still, he emphasized the strategic importance of the project, noting that a successful bid could significantly elevate Korea’s position in the global defense market. “If we secure the deal, it could fundamentally change the landscape of Korea’s defense industry,” he said. Canada is seeking to replace its aging submarine fleet with up to 12 next-generation vessels under a project estimated at around 60 billion Canadian dollars ($43.7 billion). Korea and Germany have emerged as the leading contenders, with Berlin proposing an industrial package that combines submarine sales with automotive and battery investments, in line with Ottawa’s push to attract broader manufacturing investment alongside defense contracts. The Canadian submarine

Mar 20, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea ramps up bid for Canada's $44 bil. submarine deal
Defense

Drone warfare poses new security threats to South Korea, experts warn

North Korea is rapidly absorbing drone warfare tactics and combat experience through its participation in Russia's war against Ukraine, raising new security concerns for South Korea, experts said Thursday. They warned that the growing role of low-cost unmanned systems is reshaping modern warfare and could directly affect the security environment on the Korean Peninsula. The remarks were made at a seminar hosted by Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the People Power Party at the National Assembly in Seoul. The event brought together Ukrainian and South Korean security experts to assess how recent conflicts are transforming the nature of warfare. Yu said the global security environment is undergoing what he described as a fundamental shift, with unmanned systems emerging as a central driver of change on the battlefield. He pointed to cases in which relatively inexpensive drones are used to destroy high-value targets, noting that such developments are challenging long-standing assumptions about military power and deterrence. “The rules of warfare are being rewritten,” Yu said, emphasizing that the gap

Mar 19, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Drone warfare poses new security threats to South Korea, experts warn
Defense

Korea's Hormuz deployment, if decided, could take up to 3 months

Should Korea decide to send a mine countermeasure vessel to the Strait of Hormuz, just reaching the area could take three months or longer, military officials said, highlighting the operational challenges facing any potential naval deployment. Officials familiar with the matter said that even if a decision is made, the timeline and preparation for getting assets into position would be shaped not only by the challenges of transit, but also by the difficulties of moving vessels through a high-risk environment. While some have raised the possibility of redirecting the Cheonghae Unit — currently operating in the Gulf of Aden — to the Hormuz mission, the unit is not equipped with the mine-sweeping helicopters needed to safely operate in a mine-threat environment. Deploying a dedicated mine countermeasure vessel or an Aegis destroyer from a Korean port would therefore require a separate deployment process. “One thing is sending a vessel, but once you factor in mine-clearing operations in the area, the situation becomes far more complicated,” a defense ministry official said. Another of

Mar 18, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea's Hormuz deployment, if decided, could take up to 3 months
People & Events

Off-duty firefighter saves co-passenger on honeymoon return flight

A firefighter rushed to help a passenger who collapsed just minutes before takeoff on a flight home from his honeymoon, quickly recognizing the emergency and restoring her breathing. According to the Haenam Fire Station in South Jeolla Province, Jeong Mu-woong, a 34-year-old firefighter assigned to a 119 safety center in Haenam, encountered the emergency on Feb. 14 aboard a flight from Sydney to Incheon. A Korean woman in her 40s suddenly collapsed after showing seizure-like symptoms and lost consciousness, as flight attendants prepared to perform CPR. Jeong immediately checked her pulse and determined that she was not in cardiac arrest but that her airway was blocked by her tongue. “With cases like this, every second matters,” Jeong said. “I focused on securing the airway first because breathing had to be restored quickly.” With the patient’s jaw stiffened following the seizure, he used a jaw-thrust maneuver to open her airway. He then worked with a nurse on board and used a device to keep her airway open and help maintain her breathing. The passenger regained spontaneous breath

Mar 18, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Off-duty firefighter saves co-passenger on honeymoon return flight
Politics

PPP reform drive questioned as incumbents cut while Seoul mayor is courted

The People Power Party's (PPP) local election nomination committee is facing criticism for its contradictory approach — barring incumbents from the race in some regions while repeatedly reopening registration in Seoul to recruit current Mayor Oh Se-hoon. This inconsistency has fueled concerns that the main opposition party’s “reform” drive may be motivated more by internal political calculations than by a desire to be more competitive. The party’s committee on Monday decided to cut off incumbent North Chungcheong Governor Kim Young-hwan from the nomination process and reopen candidate registration before selecting a final nominee. This is the first time the committee had excluded a current metropolitan-level head since its launch. Nomination committee chief Lee Jung-hyun defended the decision, saying the party must show voters a willingness to change rather than settling for stability. “What the PPP needs to demonstrate is not politics as usual, but politics that shakes itself up and transforms,” Lee told reporters, emphasizing the need for political renewal. Kim immediately

Mar 17, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
PPP reform drive questioned as incumbents cut while Seoul mayor is courted
Politics

Seoul mayor snubs PPP primary again, fueling leadership speculation

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has twice refused to register as a candidate for the People Power Party's (PPP) Seoul mayoral primary, even as the main opposition party extended its registration deadline for a third time on Monday in an apparent bid to draw the incumbent into the race. The unusual standoff has fueled speculation that the mayor’s decision may be part of a broader political calculation rather than a simple disagreement over the party’s nomination process. Oh said he will not file for candidacy unless the party first commits to meaningful reform and clarifies its political direction before asking contenders to enter the race. The PPP’s nomination committee reopened the registration window again and set Tuesday as the latest deadline for candidates to apply, with interviews scheduled for Friday. The repeated extensions were widely interpreted as an attempt to pressure Oh into participating. The move came shortly after Lee Jung-hyun returned as chair of the party’s nomination committee, just two days after announcing his resignation. Lee publicly called on Oh to take part in t

Mar 16, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul mayor snubs PPP primary again, fueling leadership speculation
Politics

PPP turmoil deepens ahead of local elections as nomination chief quits

Internal turmoil within the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is intensifying ahead of the June 3 local elections, as the chief of its nomination committee suddenly quit and the confrontation between party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is escalating. While the party is still dealing with internal disputes surrounding its ties with ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, fresh turbulence is threatening to disrupt preparations for the key elections. Lee Jung-hyun, who had been overseeing the party’s nomination process for the upcoming elections, announced his resignation Friday, saying he could no longer carry out the vision he sought to pursue during the selection process. “In the course of this nomination process, I strongly felt the need for change and reform, and I have tried to do my best in the role entrusted to me,” Lee said in a statement. “However, as I respected various opinions, I concluded that it had become difficult to push forward the direction I had envisioned. Taking full responsibility, I will step down from my position as chairman of th

Mar 13, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
PPP turmoil deepens ahead of local elections as nomination chief quits
Foreign Affairs

Gov’t rejects Japan’s renewed Dokdo claim, vows firm response

The presidential office on Friday rejected Japan’s renewed territorial claim over Dokdo, stressing that no sovereignty dispute exists over Korea's easternmost islets. It vowed a firm response to what it described as Tokyo’s unjustified assertions. “Dokdo is clearly an integral part of Korea’s territory historically, geographically and under international law,” the presidential office said in a statement. “There is no territorial dispute over Dokdo and the government will respond firmly and sternly to any unjustified claims from Japan.” The response came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated Tokyo’s claim to the islets and suggested that her government could send a Cabinet member to the annual “Takeshima Day” event. Tokyo refers to Dokdo by its Japanese name, Takeshima. Speaking Thursday during a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Takaichi said Japan would continue to promote its position on the islets internationally. “We will clearly let the international community know that Takeshima is Japanese territory,” she said. “We

Mar 13, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov’t rejects Japan’s renewed Dokdo claim, vows firm response
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