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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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Society

Students confused over university guidelines ahead of spring semester

A college student listens to an online lecture in Seoul, in this March 29, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Jung Jun-heeBy Bahk Eun-jiUniversities' guidelines to conduct hybrid modes of learning ― online and face-to-face lectures ― are causing confusion among students. In line with the recommendation of the Ministry of Education (MOE) to expand in-person lectures from the first semester of this year, some universities have prepared new guidelines to conduct hybrid lectures. For example, Sogang University and Chung-Ang University will conduct face-to-face classes for fewer than 40 students and in-person classes for more than 40 students.Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University have chosen hybrid learning for some of the same subjects, meaning that students will attend some classes in-person and others virtually. As the learning options have diversified, many students are expressing their concerns when they have to take both types of classes on the same day. On an online community used by Yonsei University students, one user wrote, “Every Thursday at 5 p.m., after the in-per

Feb 28, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Students confused over university guidelines ahead of spring semester
Global Community

Korea's Ukrainian residents condemn Russia's invasion

Ukrainians living in Korea hold up Ukraine's national flag and a painting depicting their aspirations for peace and freedom in their home country near the Russian Embassy in Jung District in Seoul, Sunday, as Russia intensifies its attack on Ukraine. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiUkrainians residing in Korea condemned Russia's invasion of their country and appealed for active support from the Korean government and people, Sunday. About 200 Ukrainians held a rally near the Russian Embassy in Seoul and said that the Ukrainian community in Korea strongly condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine and is deeply concerned about the threats to civilians.“It has been four days since Russia's outrageous invasion on Ukraine took place in the heart of Europe in the 21st century. Since Nazi Germany's assault in 1941, the most horrific thing has been happening in the capital,” a Ukrainian protester said.“We desperately urge Korean society to support Ukraine, which is struggling desperately to protect democracy. If the Korean government imposes active economic sanctions on Russia quickly, it wil

Feb 27, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea's Ukrainian residents condemn Russia's invasion
  • Korea considers granting Ukrainians in Korea stay extension
Health

Parents still reluctant to get their children vaccinated

GettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiWhen asked about the government's decision to authorize COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged between 5 and 11, Kim Ju-yun, a mother of a 5-year-old girl in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, said she didn't want her young daughter to receive the vaccine. “I suffered from a headache and high fever for a week after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. I honestly don't understand why such a young child has to get vaccinated, because I heard it rarely develops into severe illness or death even if they are infected,” Kim said. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved the use of Pfizer's Comirnaty vaccine for young children on Wednesday, after reviewing the safety and efficacy of the two-dose regimen by an internal and independent panel of experts. The ministry said the vaccine was found to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing the virus in children aged 5 through 11, as a result of clinical trials in the United States, Finland, Poland and Spain, and there were no serious adverse reactions such as death or myocarditis. Pfizer vaccines are administered

Feb 24, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Parents still reluctant to get their children vaccinated
Society

Study finds elementary school students' reading comprehension falling

Students take part in a class at an elementary school in Seoul. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiIt is not easy for Lee Joo-sang, whose daughter is attending elementary school, to evaluate his daughter's workbook. There were more questions that were left unanswered than the ones his daughter actually answered. “She had the right answers for some questions, but others were left unanswered, although they are basically the same type of questions. I asked why she couldn't solve some questions that I think are similar to the ones she answered correctly, and my daughter said that she just couldn't understand what those questions were asking,” Lee said.“The problem seems to be a matter of her understanding the context of those questions and has little to do with her math skills.”Recently, many parents have become concerned about their children's literary comprehension abilities. Most elementary school students have been adversely impacted by disruptions to their learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim Hee-jung, 41, another parent living in Dongjak District i

Feb 23, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Study finds elementary school students' reading comprehension falling
Society

Civic groups, county at odds over removal of memorial facilities for ferry tragedy

A makeshift memorial center set up at the southwestern port of Paengmok on Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province, to commemorate the victims of the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol. Korea Times photo by Shin Ji-hooBy Bahk Eun-jiThe local government and families of the victims of the 2014 sinking of the passenger ferry Sewol in the waters off the southwestern port of Paengmok have clashed, as Jindo County tried to remove a makeshift structure that was set up there eight years ago to commemorate the tragic maritime disaster. The county office sent a notification that it would impose a fine, saying the memorial facilities are illegally set up at the port. The port is the closest one to the site of the ferry disaster. In the wake of the maritime tragedy, the bodies of the victims were retrieved and sent here where the families of the victims gathered.The tragedy left 304 passengers dead, most of whom were teenage students of Danwon High School in Ansan, southwest of Seoul, heading to Jeju Island on a school excursion.There are still group photos of the young victims at the center, which sti

Feb 22, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Civic groups, county at odds over removal of memorial facilities for ferry tragedy
Law & Crime

Dog owner jailed after pets' attacks

GettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiAn owner of dogs has been sentenced to six months in prison after allowing her unleashed dogs to bite people several times while out on walks.According to the Uijeongbu District Court, the woman in her 80s was charged with violating the Animal Protection Act and negligence. Along with the jail term, she was also fined 4 million won ($334).The woman went out with two of her four Jindo dogs without a leash in January last year and one of them bit a merchant on the ankle.A month later, she did nothing when she saw her dog go out alone, and it eventually bit another passerby on the leg.Despite the two incidents, the woman still left the dogs unattended, the court said. In a third incident, one of her dogs ran out when she failed to close the front door properly, and it bit the leg of a passerby.Last July, rather than leash her dogs properly, she tied two of her dogs to each other with a long rope, and the rope tripped a passerby who was seriously injured and required three weeks of treatment. After a series of complaints from victims, the woman was eventuall

Feb 18, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Dog owner jailed after pets' attacks
Society

YouTubers share COVID-19 experiences

This screenshot shows the famous YouTuber Seungwoo Daddy sharing his experiences from being infected with COVID-19. Screenshot from YouTube By Bahk Eun-jiMore social media users are posting their experiences fighting the Omicron variant of COVID-19 amid a surge in daily infections.The trend is in sharp contrast to the past when people tended to hide the fact that they were infected with the virus. The disclosures are being shared mainly by young people. In the online videos, people describe the severity of their symptoms ranging from mild and asymptomatic to more severe, while others still shared their difficulties with Omicron. Seungwoo Daddy, a famous YouTuber with over 1.57 million subscribers, posted a video recently titled “I didn't know I would get it either.”In the video, he said he felt unwell on Jan. 31, and tested positive with a self-testing kit on the day. He underwent a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at a hospital.“Those who say that being infect

Feb 18, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
YouTubers share COVID-19 experiences
  • Professors share expertise on YouTube
Society

Professors share expertise on YouTube

Choe Jae-chun, a chair professor at Ewha Womans University, speaks in a video on his YouTube channel. Screen captured from his YouTube channelBy Bahk Eun-jiHyun Hae-nam, a professor of applied life sciences at Jeju National University located on the namesake scenic island, said he wasn't too familiar with YouTube before starting his own channel. He occasionally watched YouTube videos, but not often.“I enjoy cycling. One day while I was riding, my bicycle suddenly experienced a problem and I found it difficult to repair it by myself,” Hyun said. “I searched for related information on the internet and found a video on YouTube that showed me how to fix the problem. It was very helpful,” he said. It was an a-ha moment that opened his eyes to the wonderful world of YouTube. Hyun said he had finally found a suitable place where farmers could find the information they needed anytime, anywhere.Hyun had always been looking for a way to share his knowledge and expertise about farming, such as information on fertilizers and agrochemicals, with other farmers. Over the pas

Feb 18, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Professors share expertise on YouTube
  • YouTubers share COVID-19 experiences
Health

Parents divided over mandatory at-home tests for young students

A person uses a COVID-19 self-test kit at a health center in Gwangju, in this Jan. 26 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiParents showed mixed reactions to the fact that the education ministry is mulling over requiring kindergarteners and elementary students to take rapid antigen COVID-19 tests at home twice a week before going to school, starting from next month. The Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the plan is under discussion, as students at kindergartens and elementary schools are currently not subject to receiving the vaccine, despite their vulnerability to infection. Some parents oppose the government's plan, saying that the rapid antigen test, which has limited accuracy compared to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, causes unnecessary stress to young children if they have to take it frequently. On the other hand, other parents say that such measures are acceptable as children need to return to some form of normalcy in schools by resuming full in-person classes with a relatively low risk of infection. The ministry is expected to announce detailed plans for kindergarteners an

Feb 16, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Parents divided over mandatory at-home tests for young students
  • Number of critically ill COVID-19 patients feared to rise
  • Korea's daily COVID-19 cases spike to over 90,000 for first time
Society

Local municipalities use AI robots to improve care for elderly

This combined photo shows two elderly women smiling at Hyodol, an AI-driven robot provided by the local government office in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Korea Times file photo by Lee Han-hoBy Bahk Eun-jiHan Hyun-soon, 74, who lives in a rural area of Goesan, North Chungcheong Province, recently met a new friend. Her new friend is a doll, which looks like an ordinary stuffed toy for kids. Han said she has been enjoying her companionship with the doll ever since she got it in January. The doll gives her a wake-up call, and lets her know when it is time to have a meal.“Grandma, when you're done with eating lunch, take your medicine. And when you've finished, please hold my hands.”When Han grabs the doll's hand, it praises her, “You did a good job.” The toy, a robot driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is also equipped with a function to send a notification message to Han's children, who live separately, in case she does not move for a certain period of time. It also has the ability to talk and sing when Han holds the robot's hands.While the protracted COVID-19

Feb 15, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Local municipalities use AI robots to improve care for elderly
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