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.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, left, shakes hands with Robert Rapson, charge d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Korea, at City Hall, central Seoul, Friday, during the latter's courtesy visit following Oh's inauguration after his April 7 victory in a by-election. The two discussed ways to promote cooperation. Yonhap
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon takes an oath during his virtual inaugural ceremony at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiSeoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon vowed, Thursday, to turn Seoul into a top-tier, globally-competitive city during his term in office.Oh, who won in the April 7 by-elections, was inaugurated during a ceremony at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) that was broadcast online.“I did a lot of work over the last 10 years before coming to office again. I think it was a process of preparing and training for the Seoul Metropolitan Government again today,” Oh said in his inauguration speech.In 2006, when Oh's first inauguration ceremony took place at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, a grand ceremony was held with a large number of dignitaries and guests from all walks of life.About 15 years later, Oh's inauguration ceremony took place at the DDP, built in 2008 during his first term as one of the centerpieces of the “Design Seoul” project to beautify the capital. Only Kim In-ho, chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Cho Hee-yeon, s
Lee Yong-soo, a victim of Japan's wartime sex slavery, speaks in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, Wednesday, after the court dismissed a case filed by her and other victims seeking compensation for their suffering from the Japanese government. YonhapCourt recognizes Japan's 'sovereign immunity'By Bahk Eun-jiA local court recognized Japan's “sovereign immunity” Wednesday and dismissed a claim for compensation filed by 20 former victims of sex slavery against the Japanese government. The decision is seen as a defeat for all such victims as it could thwart their bids to hold Tokyo accountable for their suffering under its war crimesIt also contradicts an earlier ruling in January by a different judge at the same district court that held Japan accountable for the wartime atrocities and ordered it to make financial reparations of 100 million won ($89,490) to each of the 12 plaintiffs in the case.It is yet to be seen how these contrasting decisions will affect Seoul-Tokyo ties, which have dropped to the lowest level over a series of historical issues, with th
By Bahk Eun-jiThe number of underage smokers and drinkers in Korea dropped significantly last year compared to the previous year, recent data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) showed. Cigarettes on display at a convenience store in Seoul in this Jan. 4, 2018 photo. YonhapThe KDCA suggests this was a result of the decreased number of days where children attend school and reduced activities with peers amid the COVID-19 outbreak.According to KDCA data, the incidence of middle and high schoolers who had smoked stood at 4.4 percent last year, down from 6.7 percent a year earlier, and it was the lowest since the data was first collected and released in 2005.The figures represent the percentage of students who smoked at least one cigarette in the 30 days prior to the survey. The KDCA surveyed 54,948 students from 800 middle and high schools nationwide.By gender among all survey participants, the smoking rate among male students was 6 percent, down from 9.3 percent a year before, and that of female students stood at 2.7 percent, down from 3.8 percent in 2019.The und
Farmers plant seed potatoes in a field in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, in this March 19 photo. The harvest is expected around June. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe country's farming communities have been struggling with labor shortages and cost increases brought on by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, as they are unable to hire sufficient foreign workers. Before the coronavirus outbreak, many farmers relied on seasonal workers from abroad, mainly Southeast Asia. Migrant workers entering on a C-4 visa have been allowed up to 90 days of employment here, usually at farms during the busy season when extra help is needed. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs estimates that rural manpower demand from April to June accounts for about 40 percent of the workforce demand for the entire year.Migrant workers have been a great help to farming villages where labor is scarce due to the aging population. The average pay of a foreign worker is reportedly about 80 percent of that of a Korean worker.According to the Ministry of Justice, it received requests from 37 local governments this year to
Citizens wait for COVID-19 vaccine inoculation at a hospital in Seoul, Monday, when AstraZeneca vaccination started for healthcare workers for the disabled and seniors, as well as airline crewmembers aged 30 or above. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe country's COVID-19 vaccination program is facing another potential setback following announcements in the United States that it will consider offering potential booster shots of vaccines in order to increase their effectiveness. Boosters are an extra dose of a vaccine given at a predetermined time after the initial injections to raise or maintain immunity against the targeted virus. The issue was recently brought up by U.S. vaccine policy chief Anthony Fauci and the CEOs of Pfizer and Modena.The coronavirus vaccines from the two pharmaceutical giants are administered in two injections, but the U.S. government has decided to look at giving third shots for both, according to White House officials last week.If the U.S. confirms the third round of vaccinations, it will increase demand there for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and the supply schedule
This photo shows Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on April 14. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe ongoing facelift of Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul is facing a go or no-go moment, with the new Seoul mayor badly wanting to scrap the expansion plan. However, some claim that it is too late to cancel it, after a large amount of money has already been spent on the project. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon /YonhapAccording to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Friday, Oh has ordered related departments to review the current restructuring project, which involves expanding the size of the square 3.7 times. The project was launched by the former late Mayor Park Won-soon, who killed himself last year after facing sexual harassment allegations.The local government plans to gather public opinions on whether to continue construction, which began in November last year, and how to re-create the plaza. Oh is expected to make a decision on the project after reviewing residents' responses.The construction project is to expand Gwanghwamun Square by widen the road in front of the U.S. Embassy on the east side of the squa
By Bahk Eun-jiThe wife of Belgian Ambassador to Korea Peter Lescouhier is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a saleswoman at a clothing shop in Seoul, police said Thursday. YonhapAccording to Yongsan Police Station, it is investigating the allegation that the wife slapped a clerk in the face at a shop, April 9.“We are investigating the allegation, but can't confirm the details or the circumstances because the investigation is ongoing,” an official at Yongsan Police Station told The Korea Times. Diplomats and their family members hold diplomatic immunity which means they are not subject to prosecution under the laws of their host country in most cases. However, the official said police were proceeding with an investigation as part of due process.Ambassador Lescouhier was appointed to Korea in 2018, and his wife also came to Korea that year. The Belgian Embassy said it had no official response to the allegation.
Parents and students participate in an orientation session at an elementary school in Seoul in this Jan. 6 photo. Joint press corpsBy Bahk Eun-jiThe local education office of Gyeonggi Province has developed and distributed educational guidance materials in eight languages to help elementary schoolchildren from multicultural families adapt to school life, and their parents better understand Korea's school system. The Gyeonggido Office of Education said, Thursday, it has also made two videos, one for students and the other for parents, in eight languages ― Korean, English, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai and Tagalog.The videos reflect opinions from elementary schools that students and parents of multicultural families in the early stages of their stay here often have difficulties understanding the Korean school system and various administrative procedures.A captured image of video material for parents of multicultural families / Courtesy of Gyeonggido Office of EducationThe main content for students consists of school life, daily life and school events, so they can underst
Police sergeant Park A-ron / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiWhen facilities for homeless people around Seoul Station were temporarily closed after group infections of COVID-19 were found there at the end of January, dozens of the local homeless who tested positive could not be reached to be informed of testing positive.Among them, nearly 50 were located by Park A-ron, 38, a police sergeant at Namdaemun Police Station in Jung District in Seoul. Sergeant Park's main job involves dealing with the homeless people around Seoul Station. There are dozens of such people living in and around the station ― particularly in the station's pedestrian tunnels and nearby park areas. Park keeps an eye on them, handles disputes among them, and even takes them to hospital for medical treatment when needed.“But the job isn't just about helping the homeless; I also need to deal with investigations when crimes are committed,” Park said.Park said he has become familiar with the faces and names of about 140 homeless people living around Seoul Station.Park was appointed to the job last May. When he first ap