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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 students to learn about Myanmar pro-democracy protest

Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), makes a three-finger salute to show his solidarity with citizens in Myanmar, during a press conference at the education office building in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of SMOEBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) said it has developed educational material to help students here understand the current pro-democracy protests in Myanmar against the military coup there, and the situation its citizens face. The material, titled “Waiting for Myanmar's Spring,” are aimed at helping students discuss social issues on diversity, human rights and peace, and to foster a sense of respect and solidarity, according to the education office, Tuesday.Composed of workbooks and instructor manuals, the material depicts Myanmar citizens' activities to resist military suppression, as well as discussing the cultures of the two countries.It has been developed for several levels, for elementary to high school students.Each school can choose among the material and use it for any lessons on world hist

Apr 7, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul students to learn about Myanmar pro-democracy protest
Politics

Vandals target election banners of minority-supporting candidates

Oh Tae-yang, Seoul mayoral candidate from the Mirae Party, kneels beside vandalized campaign banners on a street in Seoul. Captured from Oh's blogBy Bahk Eun-jiPolice have been receiving reports of damage to election posters or placards of Seoul mayoral candidates who have presented feminist policy pledges or offered support to sexual minority groups. The camps of those candidates denounce the vandalism of the election material as an “obvious hate crime against socially disadvantaged and minorities.On Monday, the Mapo Police said it booked several people for destroying the campaign banners of the minor Mirae Party candidate, Oh Tae-yang. Damaging election material is a violation of the Election Law, and violators are subject to a jail term of up to two years or a 4 million won fine.It is alleged that the accused persons damaged Oh's campaign banners, which were hanging near Hongdae Cultural Park in Mapo District, Seoul, March 29, and burned another banner the next day. The damaged banners carried messages such as “Declaration of free city for sexual minorities, full suppo

Apr 6, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Vandals target election banners of minority-supporting candidates
Health

Calls grow for tougher social distancing measures amid increasing infections

People walk under cherry blossoms on a street along Gyeongpo Lake in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sunday, although fears of COVID-19 transmissions are growing. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiCalls are rising for the government to strengthen the country's social distancing measures as the current levels have failed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seoul Capital Area (Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province) is presently at Level 2, while the rest of the country is at Level 1.5, in the five-tier social distancing scheme. Last week, the daily caseload hovered over 500, as the country has been observing sporadic infection clusters across the country in various locations.Due to fewer tests being conducted on weekends, the daily caseload fell back slightly below 500 for Sunday to 473 cases, including 449 local infections, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Monday. But KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said the daily number could rise much higher than the current around-500 daily cases, adding that one patient infects more than one person on average.“The use of

Apr 5, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Calls grow for tougher social distancing measures amid increasing infections
Health

Korea feared to face 4th wave of COVID-19 infections

People wait in line to receive COVID-19 tests, Sunday, at a makeshift testing center in front of Seoul Station. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcerns are growing over the possibility of a fourth wave of the pandemic as the country's daily new coronavirus cases exceeded 500 for the fifth consecutive day, Sunday. Health authorities called on the public to cooperate on quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as sporadic infection clusters have been continuing to appear across the country, showing little sign of abating.“We are standing at a crossroads between achieving herd immunity through vaccination and whether to face the fourth wave of infections as group infections are soaring in various facilities where many people come into close contact such as retail stores, restaurants, schools and daycare centers,” Health Minister Kwon Deok-chul said in a press briefing, Sunday, warning that the number of daily cases could surpass 1,000. “In the current situation where the national vaccination program has begun for the general public, if a fourth wave takes plac

Apr 4, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea feared to face 4th wave of COVID-19 infections
  • New virus cases on Monday back below 400 on fewer tests
Law & Crime

Pastor spreading false information on COVID-19 vaccines faces charges

A flyer which carries false information about COVID-19 vaccine / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA pastor from a church in Daejeon produced flyers containing false information about COVID-19 vaccines, which were posted by a member of his church at bus stops and utility poles around Incheon, according to police, Wednesday.The Incheon Metropolitan Police charged the 66-year-old pastor for violating the law on outdoor advertisements. He is accused of aiding and abetting the church member, a 68-year old woman, to post the flyers. The woman also faces the same charge.The pastor allegedly produced 10,000 copies of the flyers last November which carried the false information stating: “The chip in the COVID-19 vaccine lose your life.” [sic]The leaflets also read: “It will connect to your brain and control your thoughts by a computer. You will lose your free will. A growing number of people are suffering from pain after getting the vaccine containing the chip.”The pastor allegedly stored the flyers at the church so members could take them, and the woman allegedly posted 33 copies

Apr 1, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Pastor spreading false information on COVID-19 vaccines faces charges
Society

Chinatown, Legoland projects draw backlash amid anti-Chinese sentiment

The construction site for Legoland, the world's largest LEGO-themed amusement park which will be built by 2022 in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, seen in Nov. 18, 2020. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiChinese websites and influencers' claims over some Korean dishes and tradition as originating from China have caused backlash against a local government's development plans. An online petition has been filed on the Cheong Wa Dae website recently, calling for an end to the ongoing construction of a Chinatown and Legoland in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.Now under construction, the Korea-China Culture Town when completed will be 10 times larger than the Chinatown area of Incheon. The provincial government expects the town to provide a range of facilities and attractions ― including traditional Chinese gardens ― to revitalize tourism in the region, with the construction scheduled to end in 2022.The petitioner wrote that Koreans do not understand why Korea should provide cultural experiences from China, or why there should be a “little China” in Korea. The petition garnered more than 202,000 sig

Mar 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Chinatown, Legoland projects draw backlash amid anti-Chinese sentiment
  • 'Vincenzo' to remove controversial scene featuring Chinese product from overseas streaming services
Society

Seoul City's bike-sharing service becomes safer with soaring demand

A person rides a bike from Ttareungyi, Seoul City's bike-sharing service, in this Nov. 20, 2020, photo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-hoBy Bahk Eun-jiSeoul City has introduced a set of safety and maintenance measures, along with new services for users of its public bike-sharing service, Ttareungyi. The city's app-based bike-sharing service has emerged as a popular means of personal transport amid the coronavirus pandemic, as people are avoiding crowded public transportation such as trains and buses. The number of Ttareungyi users in 2020 rose by 24 percent from the previous year to reach 2.78 million. The city government said the new measures are aimed at preventing possible breakdowns and accidents, as the number of bike rentals also stood at 23.7 million, up 14 percent from the previous year.More reflective tape and reflectors will be attached to the bikes so that drivers and pedestrians can see the bikes more easily at night. About 3,000 bikes, which will be newly introduced this year or require the replacement of old tires, will be subject to this measure first.The plan reflected

Mar 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul City's bike-sharing service becomes safer with soaring demand
Society

Shinheung Market renovation underway in Haebangchon

On the left is an existing view of the Shinheung Market in Haebangchon, central Seoul, and on the right is a rendering of the proposed market after undergoing Seoul City's urban regeneration / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentBy Bahk Eun-jiHaebangchon, a multicultural hillside neighborhood in Seoul's Yongsan District, has been a trendy spot to hang out. The area is known for its high foreign population and proximity to Itaewon, which is popular for nightlife and diverse foreign foods. “Haebang” means “liberation” in Korean. The name came as people returning from abroad or fleeing from North Korea settled there after both the country's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945 and the 1950-53 Korean War. Between the 1960s and 1970s, the neighborhood was bustling with knitting factories. But the textile industry has since waned, and Shinheung Market, located along a topographical high point in the area, has been losing its luster. Later in the 2010s, relatively lower rents attracted artists looking for studio spaces as well as foreign nationals who

Mar 31, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Shinheung Market renovation underway in Haebangchon
Society

Yellow dust grips nation

A woman walks on a trail on Mount Nam, Seoul, Monday, while the sky is covered with yellow dust. Korea had “very bad” levels of fine dust and ultrafine dust, with dust alerts being issued across the country, after a yellow dust storm originating from inland deserts in northern China blanketed the nation. Yonhap

Mar 29, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Yellow dust grips nation
Society

Education ministry seeks to expand in-person classes

Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, third from left, speaks during a press conference at Government Complex Sejong, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of EducationBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Ministry of Education said it would seek to expand in-person classes amid a continued mix of online and offline classes amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.Students in the greater Seoul area, especially middle school students, are likely to have expanded in-person classes as they now have fewer days to go to school than peers in other regions. Under the Level 2 social distancing rule currently applied in the Seoul metropolitan area, the cap on school attendance is set at one third for elementary and middle schools and two-thirds for high schools. The cap is two thirds for elementary and middle schools in other regions.“The ratio of students attending in-person classes at schools in the (Seoul) metropolitan area is smaller than that in other regions,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a press conference at Government Complex Sejong, Monday.“In particular, middle school students in Seoul an

Mar 29, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Education ministry seeks to expand in-person classes
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