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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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Defense

Ukrainian outlet's critique exposes gaps in Korea's counter-drone strategy

A Ukrainian defense media outlet questioned the realism of Korea’s first live-fire counter-drone drill, prompting debate over the military’s evolving drone defense strategy. The Republic of Korea Air Force defended the exercise as a first-step test of existing weapons systems rather than an attempt to replicate combat conditions in Ukraine. Defense Express, a Ukrainian military news outlet, recently analyzed footage from the ROK Air Force’s drill, in which eight M167 Vulcan air defense guns were used to engage 50 low-flying drones. The outlet argued that the exercise differed sharply from real battlefield conditions, pointing out that actual first-person-view (FPV) drones do not fly slowly in a tight formation. It also questioned the cost-effectiveness of firing anti-aircraft rounds at cheap FPV drones. The Air Force rejected the suggestion that the drill lacked value, saying it was the first exercise of its kind and was designed to test whether existing weapons could be used against a swarm of drones. “The purpose was not to reproduce actual battlefield conditions exactly, but t

Jun 30, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Ukrainian outlet's critique exposes gaps in Korea's counter-drone strategy
Politics

Lee's southwestern semiconductor cluster draws corporate arm-twisting accusations

President Lee Jae Myung’s plan to establish a large-scale semiconductor cluster in the southwestern region of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province drew criticism, as the main opposition accused the government of improperly influencing private investment decisions and a civic group filed criminal complaints against Lee and his top policy aide. The government officially unveiled the investment blueprint Monday as part of its "three megaprojects" initiative, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix expected to anchor the semiconductor cluster. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) argued that the government had overstepped its role by steering corporate investment toward a specific region. “We are not opposing the construction of semiconductor plants in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province,” PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said during the party’s Supreme Council meeting Monday. “What we are asking is whether the site was selected through a transparent, fair and objective process based on the companies’ own judgment.” Jeong also criticized Lee’s explanation that the investment p

Jun 29, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Lee's southwestern semiconductor cluster draws corporate arm-twisting accusations
Law & Crime

2 foreigners flee to Brunei after vandalizing Busan subway

Police said Friday they have identified and are pursuing two foreign nationals accused of vandalizing a subway train with graffiti at a rail depot in Busan before fleeing to another country. The Busan Gangseo Police Station said the suspects are an Australian man in his 20s and a Belgian man in his 30s, facing charges of trespassing and property damage. They allegedly entered the depot in Gangseo District at around 2:51 a.m. on Tuesday and spray-painted a two-car subway train. CCTV footage showed them scaling a fence before carrying out the graffiti attack. Officers said the painting itself took only about three minutes, although the two men remained inside the depot for roughly 18 minutes before leaving. After the incident, the suspects boarded a KTX train bound for Seoul. Police believe they deliberately attempted to evade detection by wearing face masks, changing clothes multiple times, paying with cash and getting off at different locations. Investigators said the pair flew to Brunei the following day. Police tracked their movements by reviewing CCTV footage before confirming through

Jun 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
2 foreigners flee to Brunei after vandalizing Busan subway
Politics

Korea launches joint drone headquarters

The Ministry of National Defense unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the military’s drone operations Friday, shifting combat responsibilities from a centralized drone command to individual service branches while creating a new defense drone headquarters under the ministry. Under the restructuring, operational control of drone units will be distributed across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The existing drone operations command headquarters will be reorganized into a defense drone headquarters focused on force development, procurement support and cooperation with the private sector — no longer commanding combat units directly. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East had demonstrated that drones had become game changers on the battlefield. “In the past, a small number of expensive weapons systems dominated the battlefield. Now, large numbers of low-cost drones are fundamentally changing the way wars are fought,” Ahn said. Ahn said the policy is intended to strengthen the military’s defense capabilities against unmanned aerial veh

Jun 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea launches joint drone headquarters
Politics

3 contenders, 3 leadership styles compete in DPK chair race

The race to lead the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is taking shape as a three-way contest after party chair Jung Chung-rae stepped down Wednesday to seek another term, setting up an expected showdown with outgoing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and veteran lawmaker Song Young-gil. All three have cast themselves as supporters of the Lee Jae Myung administration. Their political strengths, however, are markedly different. Each is appealing to different factions within the ruling party — Jung to its activist base, Kim to lawmakers seeking close coordination with Cheong Wa Dae and Song to those looking for an alternative should the race extend beyond the first round. Jung, the party man Jung enters the race with perhaps the strongest organizational backing. “No matter what anyone says, I will stand by President Lee Jae Myung until the very end,” Jung said as he announced his resignation as party chair. “Lee and I share a political community and a destiny.” His remarks followed weeks of speculation about tensions with the presidential office. Differences over the pace of prosecut

Jun 25, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
3 contenders, 3 leadership styles compete in DPK chair race
Defense

UNC, S. Korean gov't clash over NK's border activity

The South Korean government and the United Nations Command (UNC) are giving conflicting accounts of North Korea’s recent move to intensify border fencing, with South Korea viewing the activity as a violation of the armistice agreement and the UNC disputing the framing. It is the second dispute in recent months between the two over border issues, with a previous disagreement taking place over authority to grant approval for nonmilitary access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The UNC on Wednesday publicly challenged South Korea’s assessment in a fact sheet on its website. The fact sheet came after a report that North Korea installed barbed wire fences just 80 meters from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The South Korean defense ministry said Monday that the activity is “in clear violation of the armistice agreement,” which halted the 1950-53 Korean War. The MDL separates the two Koreas and the DMZ is a buffer zone extending 2 kilometers on either side of the MDL to restrict troops and heavy weapons. In its fact sheet, the UNC wrote, "Recent North Korean construction activities

Jun 24, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
UNC, S. Korean gov't clash over NK's border activity
Politics

Ballot shortage reignites debate over early voting as PPP pushes to scrap system

Political fallout from the ballot shortage controversy during the June 3 local elections continues, with the main opposition People Power Party’s (PPP) push to abolish early voting reviving debate over Korea’s election system. The issue resurfaced after PPP lawmaker Park Dae-chul introduced a bill seeking to scrap early voting, extend election day voting to two days and revive the absentee voting system. The proposal was co-sponsored by 24 PPP lawmakers and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, the party’s former leader. Han described the proposal as a long-held position. “Replacing early voting with a longer election period has been my position for a long time,” Han wrote on social media. He has repeatedly argued that election day voting should be extended instead of maintaining the current early voting system. The move came after the June 3 local elections were marred by ballot shortages at several polling stations, leading to long lines and complaints from voters. The National Assembly has since launched a parliamentary investigation into the incident. While the controversy stem

Jun 24, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Ballot shortage reignites debate over early voting as PPP pushes to scrap system
Politics

North Korean UNESCO official to skip Jeju Forum

A North Korean UNESCO official who had been expected to join this year’s Jeju Forum remotely will not take part in the event after all, organizers said Tuesday. Chang Gwang-chol, chief of the Education Policy Section at UNESCO, had been scheduled to participate via video in a Friday session titled “UNESCO and the Future of Education: Challenges and Prospects.” Had he joined, he would likely have become the first North Korean figure to take part in the annual international forum. According to the Jeju Peace Institute, which organizes the event, UNESCO recently informed the forum that Chang would no longer participate. A Vietnamese education expert is expected to replace him on the panel. Interest in Chang’s participation had grown in recent weeks because the event is being jointly hosted by the Foreign Ministry and Jeju Province at a time when inter-Korean relations remain largely frozen. Earlier this month, the Unification Ministry said it had accepted a contact report — required under South Korean law before nationals may contact North Korean citizens —submitted by the organi

Jun 23, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
North Korean UNESCO official to skip Jeju Forum
Politics

Lee’s disapproval rating tops approval for first time amid ruling party tensions

President Lee Jae Myung’s disapproval rating has surpassed his approval rating for the first time since he took office, according to a Realmeter survey released Monday, with analysts pointing to growing tensions within the ruling camp as a key factor behind the decline. Lee’s approval rating fell 4.8 percentage points from the previous week to 46.7 percent, while his disapproval rose 5.5 points to 49.7 percent, marking the first time negative assessments have exceeded positive ones since his inauguration in June 2025. It was also the first time his approval rating fell below 50 percent in a Realmeter survey. Realmeter attributed the decline to public backlash over election management failures and intensified infighting within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). The pollster also said concerns over widening wealth disparities contributed to declining support among moderate voters and those living in the Seoul metropolitan area. Kim Sang-il, a political commentator, said the drop reflected broader concerns about how the governing camp has conducted itself since the June 3 local

Jun 22, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Lee’s disapproval rating tops approval for first time amid ruling party tensions
Defense

Impeachment petition against defense minister tops 75,000 as reform backlash mounts

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back is facing growing opposition to his military reform agenda, with a parliamentary petition calling for his impeachment surpassing 75,000 signatures just four days after it was launched. The petition, which has already cleared the 50,000-signature threshold required for referral to a National Assembly committee, cites concerns over the dismantling of the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), the government’s handling of a recent reservist death during training and other defense policies pursued under Ahn. At the same time, a separate petition opposing the proposed consolidation and relocation of Korea’s service academies is also approaching the threshold for parliamentary review, highlighting broader resistance to Ahn's reform agenda. According to the National Assembly’s petition website, the impeachment petition was opened on Thursday and exceeded 75,000 signatures as of Sunday. It crossed the 50,000-signature mark on Saturday, making it eligible for review by the Assembly’s National Defense Committee. Petitioners argued that the defense ministry

Jun 22, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
Impeachment petition against defense minister tops 75,000 as reform backlash mounts
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