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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

Yoon prepared martial law plan as early as October 2023: special counsel

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol spent more than a year laying the groundwork for his martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, with preparations beginning as early as October 2023, a special probe team said Monday. He chose the timing of the declaration to minimize intervention by the U.S., as the country would be undergoing a political transition after the presidential election, it said. The investigation team led by special counsel Cho Eun-seok announced the final results of its probe into the martial law case, wrapping up its six-month investigation. During that period, investigators indicted 24 people, including Yoon, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Cabinet members, senior military officials and political figures on charges related to insurrection and foreign interference. The decision to declare martial law was not an incidental or improvised response to the main opposition party's budget cuts and impeachment of government officials, which Yoon publicly claimed as his justification for declaring martial law. Rather, investigators found that he mentioned martial law multipl

Dec 15, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Yoon prepared martial law plan as early as October 2023: special counsel
Defense

Seoul, Washington diverge over joint drills as Korea signals flexibility, US stresses readiness

The differences between Seoul and Washington over joint military exercises have become more pronounced. South Korean leaders have publicly suggested scaling down the exercises to bring North Korea to the negotiating table, while U.S. officials oppose the idea and emphasize their importance for alliance readiness. Scaling down or postponing joint military exercises has been proposed by previous governments, mainly liberal ones, to create a reconciliatory environment with North Korea, as the North has often called the drills “a rehearsal of war.” President Lee Jae Myung and other officials in his administration have raised the issue as they seek to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang, as communication channels are currently severed. “If necessary, and if it helps the United States exercise strategic leverage, even the issue of joint military drills can be discussed and considered,” Lee said in a press conference on Dec. 3. “Simply saying such discussions are possible can help to open conditions for negotiations.” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young echoed this view, repeatedly say

Dec 14, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul, Washington diverge over joint drills as Korea signals flexibility, US stresses readiness
Defense

Return to Cheong Wa Dae triggers wave of defense headquarters relocations

The presidential office is moving ahead with its plan to return to Cheong Wa Dae by the end of this month, setting in motion a series of relocations involving the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). If the schedule holds, the two organizations are expected to move back into the buildings they occupied prior to the presidential office’s transfer to Yongsan in 2022. Military officials say this would restore the layout that existed three years and seven months ago, although the exact timetable has not yet been finalized. According to defense officials, the ministry is preparing to return to the 10-story building in Yongsan that currently houses the presidential office. This building served as the ministry’s headquarters from 2003 until the Yoon Suk Yeol administration relocated the presidential office there shortly after taking office. Since then, the ministry has been operating out of the adjacent JCS building and the two organizations have shared the facility for more than three years. Several ministry units and direct-reporting commands have also been d

Dec 12, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Return to Cheong Wa Dae triggers wave of defense headquarters relocations
People & Events

Heritage program opens new paths for ethnic Korean from Central Asia

For Yoon Esther, 26, a fourth-generation ethnic Korean from Kazakhstan, a recent heritage program in Seoul was much more than just a chance for a short visit. “It felt like a chance to understand where I come from,” she said, recalling the five-day program hosted by the Overseas Koreans Cooperation Center. Through campus tours at Seoul National University and Inha University, and in conversations with others like her working in Korea, she said she began to see the country not as a distant place but as “a home we can still return to.” One remark in particular stayed with her: the notion that the experience of the Koryo-saram is “not immigration but a homecoming.” Koryo-saram, who are also known as Koryoin, are ethnic Koreans from the former Soviet Union. Hearing it framed that way, she said, helped her understand their return to Korea not as a move to a foreign country but as a restoration of ties severed by history. The idea, she added, prompted her to rethink her own sense of belonging. Yoon works as a project manager at one of Kazakhstan’s largest college prep institutes

Dec 10, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Heritage program opens new paths for ethnic Korean from Central Asia
Politics

Seongdong District chief ascends in Seoul mayoral race as Oh Se-hoon faces legal hurdles

The race for Seoul mayor — among the most closely watched contests in next year’s June 3 local elections — is entering a volatile stretch, as leading contenders from both major parties gain momentum while confronting new political hazards. Within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Seongdong District Chief Chong Won-o has vaulted to the forefront in a field of at least eight potential contenders. At the same time, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) faces fresh uncertainties after being indicted without detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Within the DPK, a diverse range of candidates is emerging, including Reps. Park Hong-keun, Seo Young-kyo, Park Ju-min, Kim Young-bae, Jeon Hyun-heui, as well as former lawmakers Park Yong-jin and Hong Ihk-pyo. Chong, who is currently serving his third term as Seongdong District chief, recently became more prominent in internal polls, closing the gap with the frontrunner, Park Ju-min and establishing himself as a strong contender for the party’s nomination. His rise adds another l

Dec 9, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Seongdong District chief ascends in Seoul mayoral race as Oh Se-hoon faces legal hurdles
Politics

Liberal bloc's push to repeal National Security Law ignites political firestorm

Ruling party lawmakers are facing mounting political backlash after 31 members of the broader pro-government bloc introduced a bill to abolish the National Security Act (NSA), reigniting a decadeslong debate over how South Korea should balance civil liberties with national security. Supporters of the bill describe the NSA, enacted in 1948 to penalize individuals for "praising, encouraging, disseminating or cooperating" with North Korea, as an outdated instrument that has enabled the state to silence political dissent and unjustly prosecute activists. But opponents argue that eliminating the law would erode South Korea’s capacity to defend itself against espionage. The proponents of the bill — lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party and two smaller groups — argued that the law has “restricted democracy and freedom of expression for 77 years” and that many of its provisions merely duplicate articles in the Criminal Act or other statutes governing inter-Korean relations. Civic groups have also rallied behind the proposal. At

Dec 8, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Liberal bloc's push to repeal National Security Law ignites political firestorm
Politics

Clash over judicial reforms deepens as filibuster limits, special court proposal gain traction

Korea’s rival political parties are bracing for a tense year-end showdown, with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) pressing ahead with a slate of judicial reform bills and the opposition People Power Party (PPP) preparing a filibuster-driven counteroffensive. The standoff between the legislature and the courts intensified as the judiciary voiced rare constitutional concerns, while the DPK accused court leaders of shirking responsibility amid declining public trust. The DPK supports a revision to the National Assembly Act that would empower the parliamentary speaker to halt a filibuster if the number of attending lawmakers falls below 60 — a threshold often difficult to maintain during prolonged sessions. The DPK describes the measure as a necessary check on the excessive use of the procedural delay tactic, seeking to ensure legislative efficiency before the current session concludes. The PPP says it will launch a filibuster as soon as the measure is put forward, even though it would terminate automatically at midnight. Once the extraordinary session opens Wednesday, the DPK

Dec 7, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Clash over judicial reforms deepens as filibuster limits, special court proposal gain traction
Defense

Defense ministry probes psychological operations unit over unauthorized leaflet missions

The Ministry of National Defense has launched an intensive investigation into allegations that the army’s psychological operations unit carried out balloon-borne leaflet missions targeting North Korea without reporting them to its higher command. The probe includes questioning former and current commanders and conducting on-site inspections of frontline bases, according to military officials familiar with the matter. The ministry’s Inspection and Investigation Bureau dispatched a team of more than 20 investigators to two units on islands in the West Sea and along the western front line on Monday, following an urgent directive from Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back. Investigators completed their first round of fieldwork on Wednesday before returning to Seoul for further review. They later summoned commanders who led the unit between late 2022 and mid-2024 to determine whether unauthorized operations had taken place during their tenure. The investigation was triggered by testimony from a former enlisted soldier who served in the unit. The soldier told a local newspaper that between October

Dec 5, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Defense ministry probes psychological operations unit over unauthorized leaflet missions
Politics

Conservatives in disarray as martial law dispute resurfaces

A year after the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, remarks by former President Yoon Suk Yeol and main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok have reignited tensions within the conservative bloc, drawing harsh criticism from both rival parties and members of their own camp ahead of next year’s local elections. In a message issued from prison on Wednesday, Yoon claimed the last year’s martial law declaration had been a “constitutional duty” carried out to resist an alleged attempt to paralyze state functions and undermine the nation’s democratic order. His comments were met with swift condemnation. Former National Assembly Secretary-General Yoo In-tae dismissed the statement as “delusional,” adding on a radio program that Yoon sounded as if “he still hasn’t sobered up.” Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, criticized Yoon for reviving disputed claims about election fraud. Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon accused Yoon of “justifying martial law” and attempting to shift responsibility to subordinates. Jang has adopted an increasingly hardline st

Dec 5, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Conservatives in disarray as martial law dispute resurfaces
Environment & Animals

Heavy snowfall disrupts evening commute across Seoul, capital region

Heavy snow swept through Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area on Thursday evening, slowing traffic across the region and prompting authorities to issue heavy snowfall advisories. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the capital could receive 2 to 6 centimeters of snow overnight, with some parts of Gyeonggi Province seeing snow falling at rates of up to 3 centimeters an hour. Snow quickly made the roads slippery, and traffic slowed to a near standstill at major intersections and highway ramps. Some areas saw delays in snow removal, raising the risk of skidding and minor accidents. Commuters crowded into subway stations to avoid bus delays, while cities in Gyeonggi Province such as Namyangju and Suwon reported similarly difficult conditions as snow piled up through the evening. As the weather worsened, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety activated the government's emergency response headquarters and raised the national heavy snow alert from “attention” to “caution.” Heavy snow advisories were in effect across Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and parts of

Dec 4, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Heavy snowfall disrupts evening commute across Seoul, capital region
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