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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

Ewha Womans University student wins wearable robot contest

Lee Joo-hyun /Courtesy of Ewha Womans UniversityBy Bahk Eun-jiLee Joo-hyun, 20, a student of political science and international relations at Ewha Womans University, recently ranked third in the International Cybathlon competition held at KAIST, Daejeon.The Cybathlon is an international competition where people with disabilities and engineers form a team, and the people with the disabilities wear bionic assistive devices and compete against each other, completing activities that require accuracy and speed.“I wanted to find a new turning point in my life and challenge myself by participating in the Cybathlon competition,” Lee said. She became paraplegic after a car accident last year when she was a high school senior.Lee said she could have been discouraged by the shock of the accident that occurred when she was preparing for the college entrance exam, but she thought things could be different.While hospitalized and receiving treatment at Yonsei University Hospital, professors Shin Ji-cheol and Na Dong-wook, who treated her, introduced her to the Cybathlon competition and

Dec 3, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Ewha Womans University student wins wearable robot contest
Travel & Food

KTO wins tourism award for 'Rhythm' videos

A scene from “Feel the Rhythm of Korea,” a video series promoting tourism. The series, produced by the Korea Tourism Organization, won an award at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Spain. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Wednesday that the organization won an award for its promotional video series “Feel the Rhythm of Korea” at the Tourism Innovation Awards 2020, held during the recent Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville, Spain.The awards are given to institutions and tourism companies around the world that apply innovative business models or technologies in the tourism sector. It is divided into five categories: customers' experience, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis, digital campaigns, sustainable tourism projects, and new business models. The KTO's promotional video won the award for best digital campaign.“Feel the Rhythm of Korea,” a series of two-minute clips, introduced major cities here that are frequented by overseas tourists. Three videos, each about Seoul, Busan and Jeonju were released on the K

Dec 2, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
KTO wins tourism award for 'Rhythm' videos
Society

Seoul celebrates 25th anniversary of exchange with Ulaanbaatar

Celebrities and social media influencers talk during “On Connect Seoul x Ulaanbaatar,” a virtual event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Seoul's sisterhood agreement with the capital city of Mongolia, Monday. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul Metropolitan Government held a virtual event, Monday, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its sisterhood agreement with the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.Titled “On Connect Seoul x Ulaanbaatar,” the event was broadcasted live on the city government's YouTube channel with small-scale filming at a video conference studio of the city government, and UBS Broadcasting Station Studio in Ulaanbaatar to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “The event is meaningful in attempting a new way of exchanging cultures abroad by communicating in real time,” said Park Jin-young, a director of the city's public communications division.Korean and Mongolian celebrities and social media influencers participated in the event. There was an online performance promoting both cities, a talk show and a liv

Dec 2, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul celebrates 25th anniversary of exchange with Ulaanbaatar
Politics

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae under siege

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae leaves the Government Complex Seoul after attending a Cabinet meeting, Tuesday. YonhapYoon returns to work following court decision to halt minister's orderBy Bahk Eun-jiJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae's push to remove Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl faced a setback on Tuesday after a court accepted Yoon's request for an injunction to temporarily halt her order suspending him from duty.Even the ruling bloc is floating the idea of President Moon Jae-in sacking both Choo and Yoon, considering the clashes between the two are creating unnecessary political turmoil between the rival parties and are obstructing the handling of other state affairs.On Nov. 24, Choo suspended Yoon from duty and formed a disciplinary committee to look into his “serious misconduct,” including the alleged illegal amassing of information on judges involved in controversial cases, and alleged interference in investigations to protect people close to him. Choo and Yoon have been at odds over prosecution reform and various investigations involving Yoon's aide and family members.

Dec 1, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae under siege
Health

Lotte Mart under fire for turning away guide dog in training

A guide dog in training, learning to assist people with visual disabilities, rests on the floor at Lotte Mart's Jamsil outlet, Sunday, in this photo captured from social media. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiLotte Mart, one of the nation's biggest discount store chains, has been under fire, even facing threats of a boycott, after an employee refused to allow a guide dog in training to enter one of its outlets.On Sunday, a woman was taking the trainee guide dog to Lotte Mart's Jamsil branch in southeastern Seoul. But the manager and employees of the store refused to let them enter.The incident became widely known after another shopper there posted photos of the dog sitting inside the store on social media.In the post on Instagram, the user wrote, “The employees raised their voices, and blamed the woman who brought the dog, saying she was not even a disabled person. The woman broke into tears and the dog looked threatened.”The user added, “I don't know the details, but did the employees have to yell at customers and the dog like that? The dog was allowed to enter the building in

Dec 1, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Lotte Mart under fire for turning away guide dog in training
Society

Seoul Metro begins storage rental service in subway stations

By Bahk Eun-jiStorage facilities that will allow people or businesses to store belongings for extended periods of time have been set up in Seoul's subway stations, according to Seoul Metro. This is part of the subway operator's new project to create logistics centers inside subway stations in the city.Seoul Metro said it has launched its T Storage service at Dapsimni Station on Line 5, Isu Station on Lines 4 and 7, and Garak Market Station on Lines 3 and 8.T Storage at Dapsimni Station on Line 5 / Courtesy of Seoul MetroT Storage spaces have been set up in vacant shops or unused spaces in subway stations. Demand for mid- to long-term private storage from individuals and companies has been gradually increasing as the number of single-person households has increased but their homes are often small, with little storage space.The service is operated by an unmanned system. Users can download T-locker, an app which allows them to handle everything from assigning the storage space to paying the rental fee. There are two types of storage; cabinet type and room type. The cabinet is 1 meter in

Dec 1, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul Metro begins storage rental service in subway stations
Society

Changdeok Palace area becomes pedestrian-friendly zone

Images of Donhwamun-ro in central Seoul before and after the Seoul Metropolitan Government's project to make the streets surrounding Changdeok Palace more pedestrian-friendly / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government By Bahk Eun-jiFour roads encompassing Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Shrine have been transformed to provide wider walking paths offering beautiful urban and historical scenic sights. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would soon complete the two-year construction work to improve the streets surrounding the palace in the middle of the city to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.The construction was part of the City Regeneration Project in front of the palace, carried out in relation to the road reorganization project that is aimed at allowing and encouraging citizens to walk, cycle and use public transportation in the “green traffic area” in the heart of the capital.It is the site of many historical and cultural assets, including Changdeok Pa

Nov 30, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Changdeok Palace area becomes pedestrian-friendly zone
Health

Toughened social distancing regulations to be applied starting Dec. 1

A street in Seoul's popular tourist district of Myeong-dong remains almost empty, Sunday, amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiSauna and indoor sports facilities will be shut down in Seoul and surrounding areas starting Tuesday, following toughened social distancing regulations in the fight against COVID-19, the health authorities said, Sunday.However, they decided not to raise the social distancing level in the area to 2.5 from the current 2. Other parts of the country will have their levels raised to 1.5, and each municipality can raise its own to 2 if necessary.The decision has come amid deepening concerns of COVID-19's rapid spread here, especially ahead of the state-run college entrance exam which over 493,400 students across the country will take on Thursday.The new rules will be applied from Tuesday to Saturday in the Seoul metropolitan area, and until Dec. 14 in other provinces, and may continue longer or be ended early according to how the situation develops, they said.According to the new regulations, community facilities at apartments, such

Nov 29, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Toughened social distancing regulations to be applied starting Dec. 1
  • Virus tally under 500 for 2nd day
Health

Family, friends of Taiwanese DUI victim call for stronger punishment

A petition calling for severe punishment of a driver responsible for a DUI accident which resulted in the death of a Taiwanese student here has gathered more than 138,000 signatures as of noon, Thursday. / Screen capture from Cheong Wa Dae's official websiteBy Bahk Eun-jiAn online petition has been posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website on behalf of a Taiwanese couple whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver here, calling for tougher punishment for drunk driving.According to the Central News Agency Taiwan, Elain Tseng, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student at Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul, was hit by a drunk driver's car on Nov. 6 while crossing the street on her way home after meeting her professor.Tseng's father, a doctor at Chia-Yi Hospital in Taiwan who came to Korea upon hearing of his daughter's death, said he learned his only daughter had died after being struck by a drunk driver who had ignored a traffic signal.“This selfish criminal has taken away our daughter's life. We can no longer hear her beautiful voice,” the father was quoted as saying by Taiwanese medi

Nov 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Family, friends of Taiwanese DUI victim call for stronger punishment
Health

Domestic violence increases amid pandemic

By Bahk Eun-jiCases of domestic violence are on the increase amid the COVID-19 pandemic as many people are forced to spend more time at home, according to women's groups and help call centers, Wednesday.According to the 1366 Women's Emergency Call Center, 57.3 percent of calls it received for counseling from January to September were regarding domestic violence.Civic activists call on the government to map out measures against domestic violence during a press conference in downtown Seoul in this Oct. 29, 2018 photo. YonhapOther data released by the Korea Women's Hot Line also showed the proportion of domestic violence cases among all provided counseling services increased from 26 percent in January ― before the coronavirus situation became serious here ― to 40 percent in March when the country began to see hundreds of new infections daily.Experts say the increase has come as family members are working from home and attending online classes more than before the pandemic thus increasing family contact time in the home. But they say it has become more difficult for them to actively help

Nov 25, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Domestic violence increases amid pandemic
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