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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

Seoul education office to expand PCR tests before resuming in-person classes

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul education office said it has decided to expand pre-emptive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in schools and increase the number of school quarantine personnel in preparation for the full resumption of in-person classes in the second semester. Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), announced the plan during a press conference at the education office building, Thursday. Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, speaks during a press briefing at his office, Thursday. YonhapThe SMOE, in cooperation with Seoul National University, plans to test-run rapid PCR testing at five schools, including boarding schools, in July. Unlike the usual PCR tests, with the rapid PCR tests, it takes only an hour or two for the results to come out. Besides the rapid PCR tests, the education office has been operating a “mobile testing center” that workers conducting tests can use as a workspace while visiting schools, as well as offering self-testing kits to 19 boarding schools.“When y

Jun 10, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul education office to expand PCR tests before resuming in-person classes
Society

CityNet seeks active local government-level cooperation

Yim Geun-hyeong, CEO of CityNet / Courtesy of CityNetBy Bahk Eun-jiYim Geun-hyeong, CEO of CityNet, said the importance of urban diplomacy, meaning city- or other local government-level diplomacy, is growing as it can deal with the specific needs of each region that central government-level diplomacy often fails to fulfill.In this regard, Yim, who served as the ambassador for international relations at the Seoul Metropolitan Government from 2018 to last year, said he has high expectations for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who played a role in moving CityNet's secretariat to Seoul while serving as the mayor previously, from 2006 to 2011.CityNet, a coalition of local authorities in the Asia-Pacific region, is committed to helping local governments build more sustainable cities and facilitate cooperation between members. It started with 26 members in 1987, but now includes 173 municipalities, NGOs, private companies and research institutions. Yim is the chief of the secretariat.“CityNet moved its secretariat from Yokohama, Japan, to Seoul in 2013. But the decision to move to Seoul was a

Jun 10, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
CityNet seeks active local government-level cooperation
Society

People in early 20s seeking CSAT to get vaccine

Students prepare to take a mock college scholastic ability test at Yeouido Girl's High School in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, June 3. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seokBy Bahk Eun-jiSome people in their early 20s are planning to apply for the state-run college entrance exam to be held in November, not because they want to enter a university, but because the government will give COVID-19 vaccines to test-takers to prevent the infection from spreading among them. Complicating the issue is the fact that the education authorities have virtually no way of sorting out who is “really” taking the exam for its given purpose and who is not.Under a vaccination plan devised by the education and health ministries, high school seniors and others who also plan to take the college scholastic ability test (CSAT) are allowed to be vaccinated during the summer vacation between July and August. The measure is aimed at preventing them from becoming infected with COVID-19 ahead of one of the most important academic events in the nation's education system, where hundreds of thousands of applic

Jun 9, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
People in early 20s seeking CSAT to get vaccine
Foreign Affairs

Saudi Arabian woman in Korean embassy lodged human rights petition for being forced to remove hijab

By Bahk Eun-jiA Saudi Arabian woman who worked at the Korean embassy there had a complaint filed on her behalf with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in March of last year accusing the ambassador of forcing her to remove her hijab. The rights commission acknowledged Tuesday that the woman, who worked as a translator at the embassy, was the plaintiff and Korean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jo Byung-wook was the person against whom the complaint was filed.National Human Rights Commission of Korea / Korea Times fileAccording to the commission and multiple media reports, the woman said although she was a translator, Jo demanded she work as his personal assistant. Jo also allegedly told her to remove her hijab and abaya, a religious headscarf and robe worn by Muslim women, when they were alone in the office. Although serving tea for men other than family members is taboo for women in Islamic culture, the woman was allegedly ordered to serve tea for guests. In addition, the ambassador allegedly repeatedly demanded she smile whenever she encountered him, such as when handi

Jun 8, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Saudi Arabian woman in Korean embassy lodged human rights petition for being forced to remove hijab
Society

Seoul City supports traditional markets to offer online shopping

A customer looks around at dried fish products in Namdaemun Traditional Market in downtown Seoul, Feb. 9. Korea Times file By Bahk Eun-jiTraditional markets are regarded these days as being inconvenient to shop at, despite offering lower prices than larger supermarket chains, as they usually lack parking spaces, facilities where shoppers can rest or eat, and online shopping and delivery services. But markets in Seoul are changing, especially for that last part ― online shopping ― as the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has helped shopkeepers introduce online shopping and delivery service platforms last year. This program, adopted in April of last year, has helped them to overcome the economic hardships brought by the pandemic to some extent.Kim Ye-seul, a 36-year-old homemaker living in Gangdong District, said she recently began to use traditional markets more actively than before thanks to these expanded online shopping and delivery services. “Although I liked s

Jun 8, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul City supports traditional markets to offer online shopping
Law & Crime

Police investigating 'motorcycle trap' allegations

A motorbike is seen on its side in the rain at an apartment complex in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, in this screen capture. Screen captured from BobaedreamBy Bahk Eun-jiPolice have launched an investigation into an incident in which a delivery motorcycle driver was apparently dragged to the ground after a rope locked onto his motorbike at an apartment complex in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. According to Guri Police Station, Friday, the delivery driver informed police after the incident the previous day, saying that a white rope appeared suddenly at neck height when he was riding into the entrance of the apartment in the rain, causing him to lose control and fall from his motorcycle.He claimed that a guard employed by the apartment set the rope as trap and pulled it up as if he was trying to catch an animal.The incident went viral when a user of the online community, Bobaedream, who is believed to be a fellow delivery driver of the victim, posted a photo of the fallen motorcycle and claimed that the rope was a trap that was installed intentionally. The drivers claimed that an apartment guard

Jun 5, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Police investigating 'motorcycle trap' allegations
Society

Stanford sets up research center in Incheon

Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, fourth from left, and Michael Lepeck, third from right, faculty director of the Stanford Center on the Incheon Global Campus, pose with other dignitaries after an opening ceremony for the center on Incheon Global Campus in Songdo, Thursday. Courtesy of Incheon Free Economic Zone AuthorityBy Bahk Eun-jiStanford University has opened a smart city research center in Songdo, according to the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZA). The authority and Incheon Metropolitan City held an opening ceremony for the Stanford Center on the Incheon Global Campus (SCIGC), Thursday, attended by Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, IFEZ director Lee Won-jae and SCIGC faculty director Michael Lepeck among other dignitaries from the university, the campus and city governmentThe IGC is a campus shared by some of the world's most prestigious universities, and at the SCIGC, about 10 smart city-related researchers will conduct interdisciplinary studies for the efficient application of technologies with the goal of developing environmental and social sustainability for smart cities.

Jun 4, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Stanford sets up research center in Incheon
Law & Crime

Man fined for entering women's locker room to find driver of illegally parked car

gettyimagesbankBy Bahk Eun-jiA man was fined for walking into the women's locker room of an indoor swimming pool to find a driver who had parked her car in a way that prevented him moving his car. The appellate department of Seoul Central District Court said it upheld a lower court ruling that slapped a 700,000 won ($628) fine on the 64-year-old man. He was accused of breaking into the women's locker room twice at a sports center in Gangnam District in Seoul, in January last year, although a pool manager tried to prevent him from doing so.The man entered the changing room to find a female member of the center as her vehicle was blocking his car as he was about to head to work after exercising at the gym. He remained at the entrance area for a couple of seconds.The man admitted all the charges at the lower court, was handed a light penalty, as the court said he did not look into the changing room from the entrance, because the lockers were blocking any view inside and the man did not appear to have any other purpose than to find the driver.However, the man denied the charges during th

Jun 4, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Man fined for entering women's locker room to find driver of illegally parked car
Society

Digital divide sees senior citizens having difficulty using kiosks

A man practices using a digital kiosk during an education program on the use of digital devices for elderly people at a senior center in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, in this March 22 photo. Korea Times photo by Park Seo-kangBy Bahk Eun-jiWhen Lee Sun-hwa, 68, who lives in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, recently took her grandson to his favorite curry restaurant, she was embarrassed when a clerk hurriedly came to her with a bill. This was because Lee, who was not familiar with using a digital kiosk, ordered 14 dishes by mistakenly pushing different buttons on the screen.Fortunately, the clerk at the restaurant noticed something wrong and helped her cancel the order, and she was able to buy food for just two people. But what happened at the restaurant has made her reluctant to go to others that only have “self-service” machines.“Until the clerk came to me and checked my order, I didn't notice I made a mistake because the tiny letters on the menu and numbers were so difficult to read for someone like me with poor eyesight,” Lee said.Lee said she knew it was nothing

Jun 3, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Digital divide sees senior citizens having difficulty using kiosks
Society

Lee Kun-hee museum may be set up in Seoul; provincial governments protest

Painting by Korean artist Lee Jung-seob is introduced during an event to make public the list of artworks donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul in this May 7 photo. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiAn empty plot in central Seoul is being considered by the government as the most preferred space to build a new museum to display the art collection donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, according to the city government and the culture ministry, Wednesday. The move, however, is drawing strong protests from local governments in other parts of the country that are eager to host the so-called “Lee Kun-hee Museum,” and are calling for regionally balanced development of the country's “cultural infrastructure.” An aerial view of land in Songhyeon-dong, Jongno District, Seoul / Yonhap

Jun 2, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Lee Kun-hee museum may be set up in Seoul; provincial governments protest
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