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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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People & Events

From fighting software piracy to protecting children with AI

A career spent tracking illegal activity online has taken on a new purpose in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). For nearly two decades, Choi Seung-hyun worked in software license compliance and anti-piracy, including stints with Adobe, Microsoft, the Business Software Alliance and PTC. Now, the DragonEyes CEO is using that experience to develop an AI agent designed to find harmful online content and help protect children. “My 20 years in software license compliance were a major inspiration for DragonEyes,” Choi told The Korea Times in an interview. “It started with a question I had as a compliance professional about how we could tackle harmful content online. That eventually led me to develop an AI agent.” The idea became personal in November 2025, when Choi read about a multinational game company in the United States facing investigations over its handling of harmful online content. Some cases had raised concerns about child abuse. Choi, whose two sons were then in high school and elementary school, began looking at the issue as both a parent and a compliance expert. “As

Aug 31, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
From fighting software piracy to protecting children with AI
Politics

COVER STORY Why president, chief justice are clashing over Supreme Court seat

President Lee Jae Myung and Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, at odds for more than a year, are now locked in their most direct confrontation yet over the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. Cheong Wa Dae said Friday it would not submit a confirmation motion to the National Assembly for Sohn Bong-ki, a senior judge at the Daegu District Court, and asked the chief justice to recommend another candidate. Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the powers to recommend and appoint justices are “assigned to different constitutional institutions,” arguing that Cho’s authority should respect the president’s substantive appointment power. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) says that would undermine the chief justice’s constitutional authority and threaten judicial independence. But the dispute did not begin with Sohn’s nomination. Its roots go back to a Supreme Court ruling just weeks before the 2025 presidential election that threw Lee’s campaign into uncertainty. Roots of conflict On March 26, 2025, the Seoul High Court acquitted Lee, then the Democratic Party of

Aug 30, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
[COVER STORY] Why president, chief justice are clashing over Supreme Court seat
Politics

6 in 10 globally hold negative view of US

Negative views of the United States prevail in many countries in Europe and Asia, including some of Washington’s longtime allies, while Israel remains a notable exception, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Across the 42,151 adults surveyed in 36 countries, a median of 37 percent had favorable views of the U.S., compared with 57 percent who viewed it unfavorably. Only seven countries had a majority with positive views of the U.S. during the time of the survey, which was conducted between Feb. 8 and May 13. Views were particularly negative in Europe. In countries including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, positive ratings of the U.S. were at or near the lowest levels recorded in Pew surveys dating back to 2002. Pew found that attitudes toward both the U.S. and President Donald Trump were more negative in Europe than in other regions. The trend was also evident in Asia. In Korea, favorable views of the U.S. fell sharply from 61 percent in 2025 to 45 percent this year, while 55 percent now hold unfavorable views. It was the first time in more than two decades that a majorit

Aug 27, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
6 in 10 globally hold negative view of US
Politics

Reform Party at crossroads as conservative realignment looms

Korea’s conservative camp is entering another period of uncertainty. The Reform Party is facing a choice between trying to survive on its own or joining forces with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), as conservative politics begins to shift ahead of the 2028 general election. The party’s poor showing in the June local elections and Rep. Lee Jun-seok’s resignation as its leader have raised questions over whether it can remain viable as an independent political force. The future moves of the 41-year-old politician and independent lawmaker Rep. Han Dong-hoon, both currently outside the PPP, could also shape a broader conservative realignment. Political observers say an immediate merger between the Reform Party and the PPP remains unlikely, but question whether the minor party can make it to the 2028 election on its own. Kim Jin-wook, a special professor at Shinhan University, said the Reform Party differs from smaller parties built around a clearly defined cause and a loyal core of supporters. Although it has sought to operate as a mainstream party, it has failed to broade

Aug 27, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Reform Party at crossroads as conservative realignment looms
Politics

Decades after serving in Korea, US veteran begins new chapter with Korean company

Korea kept finding its way back into Gene Richards’ life. He first arrived in the country as an 18-year-old U.S. soldier. More than three decades later, that connection has led him to an unexpected new chapter: a job with a Korean company in his home state of Indiana. Richards is now the external relations coordinator for SK ecoplant in West Lafayette and the first person hired through the USFK Job Platform, a platform connecting former and soon-to-retire U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel with Korean companies operating in the U.S. Korea was a recurring part of Richards’ 27-year Army career. “My first assignment was actually the first time I’d ever left the U.S. It was my first time overseas,” Richards told The Korea Times in a written interview. Richards was stationed at Camp Humphreys in 1990, working in military intelligence. He returned to the same base in 1993 and 1994 and came back to Korea again in 1996. Later, after becoming an officer, Richards served in Korea from 2008 to 2010, working with G3 Aviation of the Eighth Army and as executive officer of the Korean Service C

Aug 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Decades after serving in Korea, US veteran begins new chapter with Korean company
Politics

COVER STORY Korean companies offer job opportunities to USFK veterans

As Korean companies expand their footprint across the United States, securing qualified local workers has emerged as one of their biggest challenges. In an effort to help resolve this problem, a new recruitment platform is looking to a promising pool of candidates: former U.S. service members who have spent time in Korea. The USFK Job Platform, run by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in partnership with the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, connects Korean companies operating in the U.S. with former and soon-to-retire U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel. Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice Chairman Lee Hyung-hee, who led the initiative, said the idea grew out of a practical problem facing Korean businesses investing in the U.S. “In recent years, the number of Korean companies expanding into the U.S. has increased significantly and demand for local workers has risen rapidly, particularly in advanced industries such as semiconductors and batteries,” Lee told The Korea Times. “But one of the biggest difficulties these companies face is securing local workers.”

Aug 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
[COVER STORY] Korean companies offer job opportunities to USFK veterans
Politics

Lawmakers suggest AI monitoring to protect children, create jobs for vulnerable groups

Lawmakers held a policy seminar Tuesday to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to protect children and teenagers from harmful online content while creating jobs for people with disabilities and older adults. Reps. Park Ji-won and Seo Mi-hwa of the Democratic Party of Korea co-hosted the seminar at the National Assembly Library in Seoul. The event focused on using AI to detect harmful content, including deepfake sex crimes, online grooming and illegal gambling, while leaving the final assessment to human reviewers. Under the proposed model, AI agents would monitor and analyze online content around the clock and flag potentially harmful material for human review. Organizers said the approach could address the limits of labor-intensive monitoring while creating remote and flexible jobs for people who have faced barriers to entering the workforce. “Having AI first detect and analyze large amounts of data, with people with disabilities and older adults conducting the final review and making judgments, shows how technology can complement people’s abilities rather than rep

Aug 25, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Lawmakers suggest AI monitoring to protect children, create jobs for vulnerable groups
Defense

Korea opens faster access to NATO standards for defense exporters

Korea’s arms procurement agency has established its first formal procedure for domestic defense companies to obtain NATO standards, a move aimed at helping them compete for contracts and joint development projects in NATO markets. Until now, exporters had no formal domestic channel for obtaining many of the standards and often had to seek help from local companies or government agencies in countries where they were pursuing business. Under the new system, standards that the Korean government can access directly through NATO’s online database could be provided in as little as a week. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday it has enacted guidelines governing how NATO standards are requested, provided and handled. NATO standards set common requirements designed to ensure interoperability among allied weapons systems, ammunition and other military supplies. They cover areas ranging from protection requirements and testing procedures to communications protocols, logistics and security rules. Korean companies may be asked to show that their products meet relevant

Aug 24, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea opens faster access to NATO standards for defense exporters
Foreign Affairs

Korean man released 5 days after abduction in Philippines

A Korean man in his 40s who was abducted in Manila last week was safely released Friday, five days after he was taken by unidentified men, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The man, who was abducted Sunday, is in good health, according to the ministry. The victim, a businessman, was reportedly abducted by four local men in the Malate district of Manila. The suspects allegedly blocked the victim's vehicle before another person entered and took him. The victim later contacted an acquaintance and said the kidnappers were demanding a ransom in exchange for his release, according to Korean media reports. The Korean Embassy in the Philippines received a report about the abduction on Monday. The foreign ministry then held an emergency meeting with the embassy and set up a task force to handle the case. The embassy also formed an on-site response team headed by the ambassador and worked with Philippine police, Korean police officers stationed in the country and the foreign ministry in Seoul. The ministry said it had worked closely with local police and other authorities to secure the m

Aug 21, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korean man released 5 days after abduction in Philippines
North Korea

3 hurdles stand in way of Trump-Kim summit

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again. But seven years after their last summit, Kim has far less reason to return to the negotiating table on Washington’s terms. A summit would first require Kim to respond. Washington and Pyongyang would then have to navigate their fundamental differences over North Korea’s nuclear status, while Trump would have to keep the issue high on his agenda amid competing foreign policy challenges and the approaching U.S. midterm elections. Trump is openly pushing to revive summit diplomacy this year, leaning again on the personal relationship with Kim that produced unprecedented face-to-face meetings during his first term. He also recently ordered a scaling back of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between South Korea and the United States, prompting the allies to end the drills six days earlier than planned in what was widely seen as a conciliatory gesture toward Pyongyang. Kim is in no hurry The first question is whether Kim sees enough reason to meet Trump at all. North Korea has offered no direct response fr

Aug 21, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
3 hurdles stand in way of Trump-Kim summit
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