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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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Health

Parents cry foul over 'forced' vaccination

A sign at a public library in Seoul notifies people that vaccine pass is required to use the facility starting Monday. Yonhap Omicron variant feared to spread nationwide By Bahk Eun-jiAnxious parents are protesting the government's de facto “forcible” measure to get children aged between 12 and 17 vaccinated against COVID-19 through its extended vaccine pass program, which included cram schools, or “hagwon,” and libraries in the list of public places subject to the program. They claim the measure infringes on children's right to learn, noting the policy lacks consistency as the government previously said the inoculation of children was a decision for parents to make. They added that it was unreasonable to include studying facilities while leaving out religious facilities and shopping malls where mass infections frequently occur.The protest follows the government's new antivirus measures announced Friday that expands the vaccine pass system, which is now applied to p

Dec 6, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Parents cry foul over 'forced' vaccination
  • Coronavirus: Number of critically ill patients at record high
  • Seoul reports first Omicron cases in 3 foreign students
Health

Gov't slammed for belatedly strengthening social distancing measures

A screen at a testing center for the coronavirus in Gwangju, Friday, shows a report on the emergence of the Omicron variant. YonhapPrivate gatherings in capital area to be limited to 6 from MondayBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government has faced increasing criticism over its belated decision to re-impose strengthened social distancing measures in order to protect against the continued spread of COVID-19. The decision was made after the country's medical system almost reached its limit and the emergence of the Omicron variant here was confirmed. The government announced Friday that it would again tighten the measures, which had been eased amid the government's policy shift to a “Living with COVID-19” strategy from Nov. 1. Under the new measures, starting Dec. 6, private gatherings in the capital area will be limited to six people, down from the current 10. The number will be limited to eight in other regions, down from the current 12. Among the six or eight people, only one unvaccinated person will be allowed. The new measures will last for the next four weeks.The “vaccine pass

Dec 3, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't slammed for belatedly strengthening social distancing measures
  • Travelers upset by 'sudden' announcement about 10-day mandatory quarantine
  • Strengthened social distancing rules to impact leisure, aviation industries
Health

Community infections of Omicron variant looming large

Medical workers enter a hospital in Incheon, Thursday, where a married couple were hospitalized the previous day after testing positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the first cases in the country. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe health authorities have gone into full alert after confirming cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which is feared to be more transmissible than the prevalent Delta variant. As some of the confirmed patients are said to have gone about their daily lives and met others for days before they tested positive, speculation is that the new variant may have already spread in their local communities.On Wednesday, Korea confirmed its first Omicron infections ― a married couple returning to Incheon after visiting Nigeria, their Uzbek friend who gave them a ride home from the airport and separate cases of two women in their 50s in Gyeonggi Province, who also returned recently from Nigeria. The couple's son, who had already tested positive for COVID-19, was also confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant. The Uzbek friend's wife and mother-in-law and another a

Dec 2, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Community infections of Omicron variant looming large
  • VIDEO First confirmed case of Omicron variant detected in Korea
  • Korea unlikely to drastically tighten virus curbs despite surging infections: official
  • Previous infection may not stop Omicron: South Africa
  • Gov't to limit private gatherings to 6 in capital area, 8 elsewhere
Society

Strengthened response

New police officers undergo training to enhance their ability to deal with violent crime scenes, at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, Wednesday. The police strengthened the training amid public criticism for bungled responses to a recent attempted murder case in Incheon. Yonhap

Dec 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Strengthened response
Society

Winter charity event begins

First lady Kim Jung-sook, center, poses with other participants during a ceremony at Seoul Plaza, Wednesday, to launch an annual donation campaign for those living in financial poverty, organized by the Community Chest of Korea. The campaign continues nationwide through Jan. 31. Yonhap

Dec 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Winter charity event begins
Health

Korea identifies 1st Omicron cases

Foreign visitors in protective gear are seen in the arrival area of Incheon International Airport, Wednesday, when the nation's first Omicron variant case was confirmed. YonhapCOVID-19 situation getting out of control; daily virus cases top 5,000By Bahk Eun-jiFive cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were reported in Korea, Wednesday, the first infections here by the variant which is believed to be more transmissible than the Delta variant and potentially resistant to current vaccines. The government said it would conduct genome sequencing on all people who test positive for COVID-19 after coming here from abroad to check for the Omicron variant, adding that all arrivals ― both foreign and Korean nationals ― will be quarantined for 10 days regardless of their vaccination history, starting Friday.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it had confirmed the five variant cases in a single day. A married couple who arrived from Nigeria, Nov. 24, and tested positive for COVID-19 the next day, was confirmed to have the new variant following genome sequencing.Besides

Dec 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea identifies 1st Omicron cases
  • Coronavirus: New infections, critical cases hit record highs
Defense

Korea-US military meeting

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and his U.S. counterpart Mark Milley salute during an honor guard inspection on the JCS compound in Seoul, Wednesday, prior to the 46th Korea-U.S. Military Committee Meeting to discuss the two countries' commitment to defend against potential threats from North Korea, and the defense posture of their allied forces. Yonhap

Dec 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea-US military meeting
Arts & Theater

Seoul's first craftworks museum highlights artisans

A variety of “gat,” a type of traditional Korean hat, and strings of the hat from the Joseon era are displayed at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in Jongno District, Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPeople admire the beauty of craftworks, but they rarely appreciate the artisans who turn materials obtained from nature into useful objects for daily life.The Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA), which had its official opening on Tuesday, is dedicated to both the craftworks and the creators.Korea's first public museum specializing in handcrafts opened on the site of the former Pungmoon Girls' High School in Jongno District, central Seoul, near Insa-dong. Before the official opening on Tuesday, the museum was partially accessible to visitors by offering an exhibition that opened in July.Kim Soo-jung, director of the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, speaks during an opening ceremony at the auditorium of the museum in Jongno District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap“It is the one and only craftwork museum in Korea,” Kim Soo-jung, director of the museum, said at a press conference befo

Dec 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul's first craftworks museum highlights artisans
People & Events

Annual lantern festival lights up downtown Seoul

Colorful paper lanterns are displayed over Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, Nov. 25, a day before the opening of the Seoul Lantern Festival. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul Lantern Festival kicked off on Nov. 26 to light up the city center with more than 80 paper lanterns over Cheonggye Stream, for a 10-day run through Dec. 5, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO).For the annual event, 83 lanterns, made with mostly paper, are displayed along a 700-meter section of Cheonggye Stream, from the waterfall at the start of the stream down to Jangtong Bridge. The lantern festival, which marks its 13th year, is one of Seoul's representative festivals that illuminates the stream area with colorful lanterns every winter.A citizen takes a photo of colorful paper lanterns displayed over Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul, Nov. 25, a day before the opening of the Seoul Lantern Festival. YonhapLast year, the festival was held in four special tourism zones ― Jamsil, Itaewon, Dongdaemun and Myeong-dong ― as part of the city government's efforts to revitalize t

Nov 30, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Annual lantern festival lights up downtown Seoul
Health

Korea limits vaccine passes to 6-month validity

A medical worker watches monitors showing intensive care units for COVID-19 patients at a university hospital in Daejeon, Monday. YonhapGov't decides not to move to next phase of 'Living with COVID-19' plan By Bahk Eun-jiThe government said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccination certificate will expire six months after secondary inoculation so as to encourage more people to get booster shots, while patients will be placed in home treatment unless their condition is serious enough to be hospitalized. The health authorities added that the country will not move to a second phase of “Living with COVID-19” due to the coronavirus resurgence and hospital bed shortages, and instead remain in the current first stage for four more weeks along with “special quarantine measures.”These measures come as the number of daily new infections has remained at around 4,000 for nearly a week, and critical cases and deaths are rapidly rising along with breakthrough infections.Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, announces the government's new anti

Nov 29, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea limits vaccine passes to 6-month validity
  • Daily virus cases below 4,000 for 2nd day amid new variant woes
  • Moon says Korea to halt further easing of distancing rules amid spiking infections
  • Pandemic risk level in greater Seoul area jumps to highest level
  • Coronavirus: Daily critical cases hit record high amid new variant woes
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