my timesThe Korea Times
ejb

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Foreign Affairs

Korea Times signs MOU with International Press Club of Uzbekistan

The Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin, top left, and Sherzodkhon Kudratkhodja, top right, chairman of the International Press Club (IPC) and rector of the Uzbek University of Journalism and Mass Communications, show their copies of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Korean daily and the Uzbek nongovernmental organization IPC on cooperation for media exchanges, at their respective offices during an online signing ceremony, June 17. In the bottom photo are Uzbekistan Embassy in Korea political counsellors Fazliddin Arziev, left, and Zokir Saidov, who chaired the ceremony. Captured from Zoom

Jun 21, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea Times signs MOU with International Press Club of Uzbekistan
Society

Debate ignited over statues in Songdo park of boys urinating

Statues of three boys urinating into the lake stand at Songdo Central Park, Incheon. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA controversy has arisen over three statues of boys urinating in the middle of a large park in Songdo, Incheon, with some residents and visitors calling the pieces showing the boys' genitalia inappropriate as a public artwork.According to the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, Friday, two complaints have been filed with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, asking for the removal of the statues installed in Songdo Central Park.The statues, which are also fountains, depict three boys with their pants down urinating toward the lake. Installing it in 2011, artist Kim Young-gul said he created them based on his childhood memory that children wandering around mud flats in Songdo to catch clams used to urinate in the middle of mud flats when they couldn't go to a bathroom.However, those who filed the complaints said it is unpleasant and uncomfortable to see the statues exposing their private parts, saying they don't understand why visitors to the park need to watch such st

Jun 18, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Debate ignited over statues in Songdo park of boys urinating
Society

Busan City asks foreign residents, visitors to comply with quarantine rules

Public officials encourage people to wear mask and keep the distance at Haeundae Beach in Busan in this July 5, 2020 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiBusan Metropolitan Government said Friday it has sent a letter to six foreignes-related organizations, including the U.S. Consulate in the port city, to seek their help in encouraging foreign nationals to abide by COVID-19 quarantine guidelines especially around local beaches. The city government's move came in response to earlier quarantine rule violations on Haeundae Beach, May 29, when around 2,000 foreign nationals including U.S. service members here held parties there to celebrate U.S. Memorial Day with many of them not wearing face masks and violating social distancing rules.In the letter, the city government conveyed concerns from local citizens about quarantine rule violations. It introduced specific details of the administrative order related to the prevention of virus transmissions at famous tourist locations in Busan such as Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches and Millak Waterside Park, and asked the organizations to encourage residents

Jun 18, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Busan City asks foreign residents, visitors to comply with quarantine rules
  • New virus cases in 500s for 3rd day amid vaccination push
Foreign Affairs

Japan portrays Korean marathon gold medalist as Japanese

A photo of Korean marathoner Sohn Kee-chung is hung at the Japan Olympic Museum in the section of Japanese medalists. Courtesy of Seo Kyoung-dukBy Bahk Eun-jiSohn Kee-chung, a Korean gold medalist marathoner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, is identified as Japanese at the Japan Olympic Museum near the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, a Korean professor said, Thursday. According to Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor of general education at Sungshin Women's University who has been actively working to promote the country over the last two decades, Sohn is placed at the top in a section of the museum introducing Japanese medalists of past Olympics.Sohn participated in the Berlin Games when Korea was under colonial rule of the Japanese Empire, so he took part as a member of the Japanese team under the Japanese name Kitei Son, as Koreans were forced to use Japanese names at the time. Sohn later said he was ashamed to compete on behalf of Japan.“While displaying a picture of him standing on the podium wearing a laurel wreath, the description of the photo reads: 'Sohn Kee-chung, men's Olympic marathon at

Jun 17, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Japan portrays Korean marathon gold medalist as Japanese
Society

'Who drilled the holes?' Police investigating mysterious holes in trees in Jeonju

A hole drilled into a tree on a street in Jeonmi-dong, Jeonju, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Jeonju CityBy Bahk Eun-jiJeonju City, North Jeolla Province, said it has recently asked police to investigate a series of cases where holes were drilled into trees. According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency and Jeonju local government, Wednesday, trees at three places in the city have been damaged over the past three months by someone drilling holes into them.The incidents took place near an apartment complex in Pyeonghwa-dong, a residential area in Junghwasan-dong, and a village in Jeonmi-dong, police said. So far 54 trees have been found to have the holes in them, with each having one to three in the lower part of their trunks, all of a similar size and apparently made with an electric drill. Police and the city government have no idea whether the holes were made by an individual or a group and the investigation has not progressed as there are no surveillance cameras in the vicinity of any of the damaged trees nor were any witnesses.Among the trees, 41 showed signs of witherin

Jun 17, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
'Who drilled the holes?' Police investigating mysterious holes in trees in Jeonju
Health

Rights commission recommends better quarantine measures at prisons

An inmate infected with COVID-19 holds up a message, which reads that eight patients are confined to a single cell, through a window at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul in this Dec. 29, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoonBy Bahk Eun-jiThe nation's human rights watchdog said Wednesday that the government's response to mass infections at correctional facilities months ago was insufficient, and recommended improvements to the medical and quarantine systems for inmates by upgrading emergency response guidelines and manuals.The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) expressed this opinion in response to petitions filed by four inmates against the Ministry of Justice and heads of two detention centers ― Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul and Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province.The NHRCK said it had confirmed that the correctional facilities failed to properly respond to the mass infections in December last year and January this year, and thus the inmates' right to health was infringed on.According to its investigation, the Dongbu Det

Jun 16, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Rights commission recommends better quarantine measures at prisons
Health

HIV testing put on backburner amid pandemic

Blood samples in tubes are taken for HIV testing. GettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiWith public health centers across Seoul focusing their attention on the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing at state-run clinics is taking a backseat to treating coronavirus infections, raising concerns over possible blind spots in the management of HIV infections and transmission. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, there are only six public health centers in the capital that can offer anonymous HIV testing for free.The situation outside Seoul is not much different, with most public health centers there also temporarily suspending HIV testing as COVID-19 has been taking up resources since last year.“The management of HIV and other infectious diseases other than for COVID-19 has become more difficult due to the lack of human resources at public health centers as they are going all out for coronavirus quarantine work,” said an official from the city's infectious disease response department.The problem is that public health centers play a large role

Jun 15, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
HIV testing put on backburner amid pandemic
Sports

Criticism mounting over volleyballer's planned move to Greek team after bullying scandal

Volleyball players Lee Jae-yeong, left, and Lee Da-yeong of Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders pose after winning the All-Star fan vote at Gyeyang Gymnasium, Incheon, in this Jan. 26 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiLee Da-yeong, a professional volleyball player who was suspended for bullying her teammates during her middle school days, along with her twin sister, Lee Jae-yeong, has faced criticism over news about her plans to transfer to the Greek league. Public criticism is mounting that it is irresponsible for her to “run away” from the scandal and keep enjoying star athlete status, without even fully apologizing to the victims.Turkish sports agency CAAN recently announced on its website that Lee Da-yeong signed a contract with PAOK Thessaloniki Greece, and she would become the first Korean player to play in the Greek league.The news came about four months after the twin star volleyball players of the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders were embroiled in a scandal. An anonymous internet user identified herself as a former middle school teammate and accused them of bullyin

Jun 14, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Criticism mounting over volleyballer's planned move to Greek team after bullying scandal
Politics

'Do you have girlfriend?': Questions for young party leader raise eyebrows

Lee Jun-seok, the new leader of the main opposition People Power Party, rides a Ttareungyi, Seoul's bike sharing system, to the National Assembly, Sunday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiIt may be natural that the public wants to know more about Lee Jun-seok, 36, the newly elected leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), as he is the first politician in his 30s to become chief of either the ruling or the main opposition party.Some questions directed at him, however, have raised people's eyebrows as they were only focused on his young age and private life ― questions which would have never been asked if the new leader was at a “normal age” to be a party leader, like those in their 50s or over.In the KBS radio show, “Joo Jin-woo Live,” Friday, the host of the show, journalist Joo, asked Lee if he was unmarried. After Lee said yes, Joo asked him if he had a girlfriend.“You shouldn't keep asking such private questions,” Lee said while refusing to respond to the query. But Joo kept asking and said many people were wondering “because you are now

Jun 14, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
'Do you have girlfriend?': Questions for young party leader raise eyebrows
  • Main opposition enjoys high support rate after electing young leader
Society

Korean folk tales now in Guatemala's public school textbooks

Lim Jong-sik, right, superintendent of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education, and Guatemalan Ambassador to Korea Marco Tulio Chicas Sosa, hold a textbook for elementary school students in Guatemala, at Lim's office in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, June 7. Courtesy of Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of EducationBy Bahk Eun-jiMost Koreans know the traditional folk tale, “Heungbu and Nolbu,” a story about two brothers which contains the moral lesson that good people are blessed and greedy ones become unhappy. Now the famous folk tale is also being printed in a state-published textbook for elementary school students in Guatemala, a Central American country with a population of 18 million. The story is written in Spanish in the textbook for Guatemalan fifth-graders.Some other Korean folk tales are also provided for students in other grades there, including: “The Rabbit and the Turtle,” “Two Good Brothers” and “The Brother and Sister Who Became the Sun and the Moon.” Even the story of Dangun, the mythical founder of the first Korean kingdom,

Jun 13, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korean folk tales now in Guatemala's public school textbooks
previous page
5657585960
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.