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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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Foreign Affairs

Global diplomatic heavyweights converge on Gyeongju for APEC summit

The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events are set to bring together the world’s leading diplomatic powers to South Korea for high-stakes talks on trade, security and global governance. With confirmed participants including U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the meetings in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, are expected to be a watershed in the global trade and security structure at a time of shifting alliances and economic uncertainty. At the center of attention are bilateral talks between Trump and Xi set for Thursday. Trump will arrive here on Wednesday on a state visit after stops in Malaysia and Japan as part of his first trip to Asia since beginning his second term. He is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the APEC CEO Summit on the day of his arrival and later hold a working dinner with other leaders. The following day, he will meet Xi for a bilateral meeting — their first in six years. A trade confrontation between the two countries has been escalating, with the U.S. imposing high ta

Oct 24, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Global diplomatic heavyweights converge on Gyeongju for APEC summit
Politics

Presidential office relocation blamed for police failures in Itaewon crowd crush

The government said Thursday that the relocation of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office to Yongsan District was a key factor in the police shortage during the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, which claimed 159 lives. The new presidential office, relocated during Yoon's 2022-25 term, is roughly 1.5 kilometers from the disaster site in Itaewon. Announcing the results of a joint audit into the tragedy, officials concluded that the move had significantly increased demand for police services around the new presidential compound, diverting crowd control forces away from the busy streets of Itaewon on the night of the disaster. Despite advance warnings of large Halloween crowds, only a limited police presence was dispatched to Itaewon that evening. The audit — carried out by the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC), the National Police Agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety — marked the first formal inquiry into the tragedy under the Lee Jae Myung administration. Over a three-month period beginning in July, the team examined police headquarters, the Seoul Metropolitan G

Oct 23, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Presidential office relocation blamed for police failures in Itaewon crowd crush
Foreign Affairs

Korean embassy under fire as lawmakers grill officials over Cambodia crime surge

Korean lawmakers on Wednesday accused the nation’s embassy in Cambodia of failing to respond swiftly to an increase in abduction and confinement cases involving Korean nationals, following a National Intelligence Service (NIS) report suggesting that as many as 2,000 Koreans may have participated in large-scale scam operations across the country. During an on-site audit at the embassy in Phnom Penh, members of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee questioned embassy officials about what they called “a serious lapse in protecting citizens abroad.” According to the embassy, about 100 of the 550 kidnapping and confinement reports filed over the past two years remain unresolved, while 450 were closed following rescue operations or releases. The lawmakers said that the response had been slow despite repeated appeals from the families of victims and civic groups. Rival lawmakers voiced rare unity in condemning the embassy’s handling of the crisis but clashed over its root causes. Members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) argued that the governme

Oct 22, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Korean embassy under fire as lawmakers grill officials over Cambodia crime surge
Defense

Korea’s defense industry showcases AI, space tech at ADEX 2025

Seoul’s biennial Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2025) offered an extensive overview of the evolution of Korea’s defense sector as it enters a new era of warfare. Key defense contractors including Hanwha, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), LIG Nex1 and Hyundai Rotem showcased an expanded range of systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI), along with unmanned operations and space technologies. With 600 companies from 35 countries, this year’s exhibition was the largest since its launch in 1996, filling every hall at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and attracting a record number of foreign delegations. The event emphasized the momentum behind what officials now call “K-defense 2.0.” AI redefines warfare Hanwha Aerospace drew attention with its demonstration of “manned-unmanned teaming” platforms designed for networked combat. Its exhibits included the THeMis-K robotic combat vehicle, Arion-SMET and Grunt unmanned ground vehicles, and a mock-up of the Gray Eagle-STOL, jointly developed with General Atomics of the United States. Executives said these systems would

Oct 21, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea’s defense industry showcases AI, space tech at ADEX 2025
Politics

Cambodia crime wave sparks political blame game in Seoul

A political storm has erupted in Seoul over a series of abductions and confinement cases involving Korean nationals in Cambodia, as rival parties clash over who bears responsibility for the government’s slow response to the growing overseas crime crisis. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) accused the previous administration under Yoon Suk Yeol of neglecting the safety of its citizens despite increasing development aid to Cambodia and maintaining ties with religious lobby groups. In response, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) claimed that Chinese criminal syndicates are the root cause of the crimes, urging the government to step up diplomatic pressure on Beijing. The controversy has intensified ahead of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee inspection in Phnom Penh, which is scheduled to take place from Tuesday to Friday. Lawmakers plan to visit crime-ridden areas and the Korean Embassy to review efforts to protect citizens abroad. DPK policy chief Han Jeoung-ae said the previous government “poured money into official development assist

Oct 20, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Cambodia crime wave sparks political blame game in Seoul
Society

Incheon Global Campus to host special Sebasi Talk event: 'Learn Bold, Lead Global'

Incheon Global Campus (IGC) will host a special lecture event titled “Learn Bold, Lead Global” in collaboration with Sebasi Talk, a Korean lecture program modeled after TED Talks. The event will take place on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at the IGC Auditorium. The event will feature five speakers delivering relay lectures under the themes of bold learning and global leadership. The speakers include Lee Gyu-tag, professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea; Lee Ho-sun, chair of Christian counselling and welfare at Soongsil Cyber University; Sam Richards, professor of sociology at Pennsylvania State University; Cho Yong-min, CEO of Unbound Lab Dev and former Google executive; and Han Jea-kweon, professor of robotics at Hanyang University and CTO of AeiROBOT. Each speaker will connect the event’s theme to their area of expertise, offering insights to inspire participants. Advance registration for the free public lecture is available through the Sebasi Talk website or via the QR code on the event poster until midnight on Oct. 26. “IGC has moved beyond its stabilization phase

Oct 19, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
Incheon Global Campus to host special Sebasi Talk event: 'Learn Bold, Lead Global'
Politics

DPK launches early bid to regain Seoul mayoral seat

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is mounting an early campaign to recapture the Seoul mayoral office in next June’s local elections, viewing the capital as a key litmus test for the Lee Jae Myung administration at the ballot box. DPK lawmakers Park Ju-min and Seo Young-kyo have already declared their bids, while senior party member Jeon Hyun-heui is widely expected to join the race soon. The party has already gone on the offensive against incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is seeking a fifth term. Park, chair of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, said that Seoul “needs a mayor who works for ordinary citizens, not for political self-interest.” Seo accused Oh’s Han River bus project of being “a vanity project that wasted taxpayer money.” He was referring to the mayor’s Seoul river ferry project, which was suspended just 10 days after its launch due to a series of mechanical failures. Jeon also criticized Oh’s leadership, describing the project as “a symbol of showmanship and failed governance.” Other potential contenders include Reps. Park Hong

Oct 16, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
DPK launches early bid to regain Seoul mayoral seat
Companies

With new warship, Hanwha Ocean aims to strengthen Korea’s naval edge

Hanwha Ocean unveiled its next-generation strategic surface warship designed to strengthen Korea’s naval capabilities and lead the country’s future K-defense sector. The company introduced the new model during the 3rd Advanced Naval Smart Tech Forum toward a Global Future: Innovation Waves, held Tuesday at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul. The event brought together around 100 participants, including Rep. Seo Il-jun, former Navy Chief of Staff Boo Suk-jong and experts from Korea and abroad to discuss future naval technologies and smart combat systems. During the forum, Charlie SC Eoh, president and COO of the naval ship business at Hanwha Ocean, unveiled the model and outlined its development background and key features. “As maritime power competition intensifies amid changing global security dynamics, a new class of naval platform is required,” Eoh said. “This vessel embodies Hanwha Ocean’s technology and commitment to innovation, setting a new milestone in Korea’s naval shipbuilding history.” The next-generation warship is designed to operate across multiple domains, including s

Oct 15, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
With new warship, Hanwha Ocean aims to strengthen Korea’s naval edge
People & Events

50 years later, Seoul honors 'textile king' who gifted land for Korean embassy in Japan

“Your homeland should never be a source of shame.” That was the guiding belief of Seo Gap-ho (1914-76), a Korean entrepreneur who rose from poverty during Korea’s colonial period under Japanese rule to become known as the “Textile King of Osaka.” In 1962, he donated land and a building in the Azabu 1-chome district of central Tokyo — now the site of the Korean Embassy in Japan — to the Korean government. He later helped fund the relocation of the Korean Consulate in Osaka and personally supported the Kongo Gakuen Korean school in the city. This ensured that young Koreans in Japan could continue to learn about their heritage and language. Nearly five decades after his passing, his legacy continues to be recognized as the Overseas Koreans Agency named him Overseas Korean of the Month for October 2025. His contribution also lives on at the Korean Embassy in Tokyo, where he is honored through Dongmyeong Hall and Seo Gap-ho Day, held each year on Nov. 1 at the site of the Korean embassy. Born in Ulju, South Gyeongsang Province, Seo left for Osaka alone when he was just 9 years ol

Oct 15, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
50 years later, Seoul honors 'textile king' who gifted land for Korean embassy in Japan
Politics

S. Korea revives key N. Korea dialogue office, scales back rights agenda

The Unification Ministry announced a sweeping reorganization on Tuesday, reinstating key offices for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation that were dismantled under the previous administration, while reducing its focus on human rights initiatives. The move follows the Lee Jae Myung administration’s policy goal of “peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula.” According to the ministry’s restructuring plan, the total workforce will increase from 533 to 600, with the addition of 67 new positions. Around 80 percent of the 81 positions that were cut under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration will be reinstated. Officials said the overhaul aims to reestablish the ministry’s core role in promoting inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges. At the center of the change is the revival of the inter-Korean dialogue headquarters, a dedicated body that had been effectively sidelined since North Korea unilaterally blew up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office in June 2020. The headquarters will oversee talks, liaison channels and border entry management between the two Kore

Oct 14, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
S. Korea revives key N. Korea dialogue office, scales back rights agenda
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