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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

Over 80% of workers positive about pandemic-led working culture changes

Seats of public officials at the Government Complex Sejong remain empty as the officials work from home due to the surge in the number of coronavirus infections in this May 20 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiMore than eight out of 10 workers in Korea are positive about the new work environment and culture that have been brought about due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a poll showed, Friday. According to the survey by Job Korea of 412 workers, 86.9 percent said they were satisfied with the coronavirus-induced working “culture.”When multiple answers were allowed, 48.9 percent of respondents said they were positive because they could keep a balance between work and everyday life; 38 percent said the changed trend should be maintained; and 33.2 percent said their work efficiency increased.Among the 13.1 percent of respondents who showed negative reactions, 38.9 percent said they felt low job satisfaction; 37 percent said their companies were unlikely to continue such working culture; and 25.9 percent said their workload seem to be heavier due to no limits of time and space of working.A

Nov 6, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Over 80% of workers positive about pandemic-led working culture changes
Society

Parents seek private academic assessment tests for elementary students

Fourth graders at Beondong Elementary School in Seoul sit in class in this Sept. 6 photo. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoonBy Bahk Eun-jiLee Sae-ron, a second grader at an elementary school in northern Seoul's Nowon-gu, has been taking English and math assessment tests offered by a publishing company of study materials every semester since last year. Such academic performance evaluations have grown popular, because elementary schools across the country do not administer mid-term and final exams.Beginning with Seoul in 2011, elementary schools abolished mid-term and final exams to reform the score-centered education system. And from 2017, the national evaluation of academic achievement, organized by the education ministry, was abolished and only a small number of students take it for a sampling evaluation, leaving parents with no way of knowing their children's academic abilities.The COVID-19 outbreak and problems involving online classes have also increased concerns over a widening gap between students in the quality of education, as children of wealthy families generally have greate

Nov 5, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Parents seek private academic assessment tests for elementary students
Society

Universities struggling to resume in-person lectures

A university campus in Seoul is livened up with students, Tuesday, as the country adopted the “Living with COVID-19” scheme the previous day, allowing in-person lectures again. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiAlthough the country has begun its “Living with COVID-19” strategy, meant to phase out virus restrictions gradually, many universities are struggling to resume in-person lectures. Starting with Seoul National University last month, many universities in the capital have been resuming in-person lectures gradually, but some schools have decided to maintain their current teaching methods for the remaining portion of the semester, fearing a possible spike in COVID-19 infections. The fall semester has already passed the halfway mark, and students living outside Seoul and taking online classes have faced sudden problems finding housing in order to attend classes in Seoul.As of Oct. 1, 25.2 percent of universities were conducting in-person lectures, while 30.2 percent had chosen hybrid courses, a mixture of in-person classes and remote teaching, and the biggest proportion, 4

Nov 4, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Universities struggling to resume in-person lectures
Health

Father donates organs from brain dead 5-year-old daughter to save children

Jeon So-yul / Courtesy of Korea Organ Donation AgencyBy Bahk Eun-jiThe organs of a five-year-old girl who was declared brain dead following an accident, were donated to save other sick children. The Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) said Wednesday that the father of the girl who was named Jeon So-yul consented to the donation of his daughter's heart and both kidneys to three children at Seoul National University Hospital, Oct. 28, upon confirmation of her death.The young girl was partially drowned at a public bathhouse attached to a children's cafe in 2019, which left her on life support with minimal brain function and being fed via a naso-gastric tube.Ahead of surgery to connect a tube directly to her stomach, Oct. 19 the girl suffered a cardiac arrest was later determined to be brain dead. Her father then consented to donate her organs.According to the KODA, the girl's mother died six months ago after treatment for lung cancer ― which she was diagnosed with in 2018 ― failed. So-yul's father, who had been caring for both of his two critically ill family members, was reportedly unab

Nov 4, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Father donates organs from brain dead 5-year-old daughter to save children
Society

Seoul City's bike-sharing service to undergo upgrade

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon rides a bicycle of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's “Ttareungyi” bike-sharing service across the street from City Hall, Oct. 22. YonhapMayor Oh pledges 'Ttareungyi Season 2'By Bahk Eun-jiSeoul City is planning to enhance convenience of the capital's public bike-sharing service, Ttareungyi, which has been gaining popularity since its introduction in 2015. At the end of last month, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he was preparing for “Ttareungyi Season 2” with an upgraded system and services. His comments come after strong criticism erupted following a report released by a lawmaker that the city is moving to scale down the bike-sharing service, which was one of the key achievements of Oh's predecessor, Park Won-soon.“It is not true that we will stop having new bikes,” Oh said, Oct. 22, while riding a Ttareungyi bike himself and meeting with members of the public. “Rather we'll improve services by upgrading the infrastructure and collecting public opinion on its inconveniences.”Currently there are 37,500 Ttareungyi bi

Nov 3, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul City's bike-sharing service to undergo upgrade
Health

Debates rise over discrimination against unvaccinated

A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a clinic in Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPeople are showing mixed reactions to stories about jobseekers who claimed that companies refused to hire them because they were unvaccinated against COVID-19 and had no plans to get inoculation.Some denounced the companies for discriminating against the unvaccinated, while others said they understand the companies would want to reduce the possibility of infection spreading among workers.A person wrote on an online community of jobseekers, Oct. 29, that his employment was canceled because he was not inoculated.“I passed the interview yesterday and was supposed to start work next Monday. A company official called to ask if I had been vaccinated, so I answered I haven't and I don't intend to get one due to fear of possible side effects. Then the official told me it is regrettable but I cannot take the job,” the person wrote.“If this is the company's rule, they should have told me about it in advance when I had the interview. I even turned down a job offer from another company.

Nov 2, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Debates rise over discrimination against unvaccinated
  • Nearly half of recent COVID-19 cases in Seoul breakthrough infections: city gov't
Society

Salted shrimp festival to be held in Mapo this weekend

A poster of Mapo Salted Shrimp Festival / Courtesy of Mapo-gu OfficeBy Bahk Eun-jiThe 14th Mapo Salted Shrimp Festival will be held for three days from Nov. 5, where people can buy the briny condiment from famous producers at discounted prices, according to Mapo-gu Office, Monday. The annual festival was cancelled last year due to the spread of COVID-19, but this year's event will include both offline and online events in line with the government's “Living with COVID-19” plan that started Nov. 1.Mapo used to be a center of trade across the country during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), and merchants selling salted seafood, including shrimp, used to gather at Maponaru (Mapo Port). The district office will hold an event reenacting salted shrimp merchants entering the port and people buying the goods, on the main stage of the World Cup Park, Nov. 5.Twenty LED lamps modeled after a traditional sailboat will be floating on Nanji Pond.A music concert will also be held at 3 p.m. every day for three days. Singers Nam Jin and Maria will perform on the first day of the festival. On

Nov 2, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Salted shrimp festival to be held in Mapo this weekend
Law & Crime

Teachers call for harsh punishment for principal installing spycam in faculty restroom

By Bahk Eun-jiTeachers' groups are calling for a thorough investigation and heavy punishment for an elementary school principal who was arrested for allegedly installing a hidden camera in a restroom for female faculty members. Members of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations and its Gyeonggi Province branch issued a joint statement, Friday, calling for strong punishment of the principal to discourage others from committing such voyeuristic sex crimes.A spycam installed in a tissue box was found recently in a restroom for female teachers at an elementary school in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. The principal of the school who installed the camera was arrested, Saturday. Courtesy of Gyeonggi teachers' union“We were truly shocked that the most non-education-related incident that should never happen in a school, which was done by a school head,” they said in a statement. They said the principal shamed and embarrassed all educators nationwide. “Teachers who violate teaching ethics, such as committing sex-related crimes, must be permanently excluded from teaching j

Oct 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Teachers call for harsh punishment for principal installing spycam in faculty restroom
Society

Seoul City considering cutting financial support for TBS over 'politically biased' programs

Captured image of “Kim Ou-joon's News Factory” / Captured from TBSBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering cutting financial support for Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) next year, following continuous complaints over allegedly politically biased radio programs, especially “Kim Ou-joon's News Factory” hosted by left-wing commentator Kim.According to city officials, Thursday, the city plans to reduce its financial support to the media outlet by around 10 billion won. It offered 37.5 billion won ($31.9 million) this year, which accounted for 72.8 percent of the radio station's total budget.TBS started as an affiliate of the city government in 1990, but a separate foundation was established in February last year to manage the station independently. However, TBS is not completely independent financially, as more than 70 percent of its budget comes from the city government.Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukAs TBS is autonomous from the city government, it is difficult for the city to exercise its authority directly ove

Oct 28, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul City considering cutting financial support for TBS over 'politically biased' programs
Society

Educators expresses concerns over timing of resuming in-person classes

Students go to school in Busan, Sept. 6. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are being raised among teachers and parents of students in elementary, middle and high schools across the country over the starting point of a “Living with COVID-19” scheme and whether schools can resume full in-person classes immediately or should postpone them until after the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) slated for Nov. 18. The Ministry of Education plans to announce its finalized plan for a gradual easing of virus curbs for classrooms on Friday after collecting opinions from school faculty, teachers' organizations, students and parents.On the same day, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters will also finalize its plans to shift gradually to a return to “normal life” starting next month. The main goal is to ease restrictions on multi-use facilities by January 2022 in three stages in accordance with the ongoing risk of virus transmissions. However, parents and teachers are expressing anxiety over the spread of infection, saying that schools should be approache

Oct 27, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Educators expresses concerns over timing of resuming in-person classes
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