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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

Prime minister says Korea activated hotline with Vance after Trump's tariff warning

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Monday that he has been communicating with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance through a direct hotline seeking clarification on Washington’s intentions following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks suggesting a possible tariff increase. Speaking at a New Year press briefing with the prime ministerial press corps at his official residence in Seoul, Kim said the hotline was activated immediately after Trump made his comments. “I exchanged phone numbers with Vice President Vance in person during my recent visit to the United States, and we have since communicated several times,” Kim said. “After President Trump’s sudden message, we activated the hotline with Vice President Vance and used all available channels to determine the U.S. government’s actual position.” The remarks followed Trump’s post on social media last week, in which he accused Korea of failing to implement the tariff agreement and said he would raise tariffs on Korean autos, pharmaceuticals and other goods from 15 percent to 25 percent. Kim rejected claims that Trump’s

Feb 2, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Prime minister says Korea activated hotline with Vance after Trump's tariff warning
Politics

Security expert urges Korea to lead middle-power coalition

The idea of cooperation among middle powers has circulated for years, often more in theory than in practice. But Moon Chung-in, a James Laney Distinguished Professor at Yonsei University, said the conversation is now entering a more urgent phase. Speaking in an interview with The Korea Times, Moon said the question is no longer whether such cooperation is desirable, but whether any country is willing to take the lead. He said Korea should consider playing a more proactive role in uniting middle powers, as the global order becomes increasingly shaped by rivalry between the great powers and transactional diplomacy, with major powers relying on tariffs, financial pressure and security leverage to pursue their national interests. “There has to be a leader who can bring middle powers together and push a middle-power coalition forward,” said Moon, a former foreign policy and national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in. Saying that middle powers are effectively “sandwiched” between the U.S. and China, he said this structural vulnerability is the reason why cooperation among them

Jan 31, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Security expert urges Korea to lead middle-power coalition
  • Foreign policy veteran explains why dialogue with N. Korea remains difficult
Defense

S. Korea, Japan to resume search-and-rescue drills after 9-year hiatus

Korea and Japan agreed Friday to resume joint search-and-rescue exercises for the first time in nine years, marking a symbolic step toward restoring military cooperation as the two countries seek to expand personnel and unit-level exchanges. Speaking at the outset of the talks, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the meeting should serve as “an opportunity to face the past honestly, assess the present and move toward the future.” He later agreed with his Japanese counterpart to resume the long-suspended drills and to institutionalize annual defense talks. The agreement was reached during talks between Ahn and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. According to Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, the resumption of maritime search-and-rescue exercises between the Korean Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will be conducted for humanitarian purposes. The drills had been suspended since 2016 amid strained bilateral relations. Both ministers agreed that revitalizing personnel and unit exchanges was essential to building mutual trust between

Jan 30, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
S. Korea, Japan to resume search-and-rescue drills after 9-year hiatus
Politics

PPP expels former party leader Han Dong-hoon

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday expelled its former leader Han Dong-hoon over allegations of opinion manipulation by his family members on the party's online bulletin board. Expulsion is the party’s highest level of disciplinary action, and he immediately lost his party membership. The decision immediately triggered backlash from Han and his aides, who called for the resignation of the current party leader, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok. It is expected to intensify the party’s long-simmering conflict between the Han faction, which has denounced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law fiasco, and the current leadership that has not clearly severed ties with Yoon. The expulsion was decided at a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council, which endorsed a prior ruling by its central ethics committee to kick out Han over the opinion manipulation allegations. Nine party officials, including six Supreme Council members as well as the party leader, floor leader and policy chief, participated in the vote, and eight of them consented to the expulsion. The expulsion prevents

Jan 29, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
PPP expels former party leader Han Dong-hoon
Foreign Affairs

Seoul says US tariff agreement already in force without legislative passage

U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to raise tariffs on Korean goods due to the Korean National Assembly's alleged delayed approval of a relevant bill has sparked debate over whether Seoul has failed to honor a bilateral trade agreement. Government officials and lawmakers in Seoul, however, say that according to relevant documents, such as a memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached between the two governments last year over the tariff level and investments, there is no direct link between Korea’s legislative process and tariff policy. Trump said Monday (local time) that tariffs on a wide range of Korean goods, including cars, timber and pharmaceuticals, would be increased from 15 percent to 25 percent, arguing that the National Assembly had not approved what he described as a “historic” agreement reached between the two countries. At the center of the dispute is the MOU signed last November, according to which the U.S. would cut tariffs on Korean imports from 25 percent to 15 percent. Under the MOU, tariff reductions were designed to take effect retroactively from the fi

Jan 27, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul says US tariff agreement already in force without legislative passage
Defense

US defense policy chief calls for greater allied responsibility

Elbridge Colby, the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, met South Korea’s top foreign and defense officials Monday and briefed them on Washington’s newly released National Defense Strategy (NDS), which emphasizes Seoul’s leading role in defending the Korean Peninsula. Colby discussed alliance issues with South Korean officials, including the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), defense cooperation and the division of costs for stationing U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula. He attended separate meetings with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back during his visit to Seoul, shortly after the Pentagon’s 2026 NDS stated that South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with more limited U.S. support. During a meeting with Colby, Cho said the two countries had made meaningful progress through last year’s summits. “Through two summits last year, the two leaders achieved important results in setting a mutual and forward-looking direction for the alliance,” Cho said, according to the foreign ministry. “

Jan 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
US defense policy chief calls for greater allied responsibility
Defense

New US defense strategy shifts alliance roles, puts focus on OPCON transfer

A new U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS) is expected to accelerate discussions over greater strategic flexibility for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, as the U.S. calls for South Korea to take primary responsibility for deterring North Korea. The Pentagon on Friday (local time) released its 2026 NDS, which states, “South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support.” According to the strategy, the assessment reflects South Korea’s high defense spending, advanced defense industrial base and conscription system. The document adds that “this shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating U.S. force posture on the Korean Peninsula.” The wording points to a new division of roles within the alliance, under which Seoul would play a larger role in conventional deterrence while U.S. forces adjust their posture in line with broader strategic priorities, including deterring China. The Donald Trum

Jan 25, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
New US defense strategy shifts alliance roles, puts focus on OPCON transfer
Photo News

PHOTOS Navy power: winter training in icy waters

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

Jan 22, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
[PHOTOS] Navy power: winter training in icy waters
Politics

DPK proposes merger with Rebuilding Korea Party before June local elections

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

Jan 22, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
DPK proposes merger with Rebuilding Korea Party before June local elections
Politics

Ex-PM Han Duck-soo sentenced to 23 years in prison in martial law case

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

Jan 21, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Ex-PM Han Duck-soo sentenced to 23 years in prison in martial law case
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