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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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Health

Health minister gets flu shot to calm public concern

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo, left, gets a flu shot at a hospital in Sejong, Tuesday, as part of efforts to demonstrate the safety of the vaccinations administered under a free state-led program. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiHealth Minister Park Neung-hoo received a seasonal influenza vaccination Tuesday in an effort to calm down public anxiety over its safety, according to his ministry. Park, who was born in 1956, is included in a list of recipients for the government's free seasonal flu vaccinations for the elderly aged 62 and older which began Monday.Park is the second minister to receive a shot, following Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun who was administered the flu vaccine at a community health center in Sejong, Oct. 21, in accordance with the vaccination schedule for those aged 70 or older that began Oct. 19. Jeong Eun-kyung, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), who was born in 1965, is not eligible for the free program.Park reiterated the importance of vaccination against the seasonal flu again during a regular briefing at the Central Disaster and Safe

Oct 27, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Health minister gets flu shot to calm public concern
Health

New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on multiple infection clusters

People wait to receive flu shots at a medical center in Seoul, Monday, with free vaccinations available to people between the ages of 62 to 69. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe country's daily new COVID-19 cases has bounced back to three digits as sporadic infection clusters have emerged especially in the Seoul metropolitan area, the health authorities said Monday.Recently in Seoul and its surrounding areas, there has been an increasing trend of group infections reported at elderly care hospitals and facilities, rehabilitation centers, family gatherings, and private ballet academies, at which people are vulnerable to the disease.In particular, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is on edge as the number of hikers going on picnics has increased in the wake of the fall foliage season. A possible transmission among clubbers on Halloween this weekend is also a concern as the country suffered major outbreaks of infection clusters at clubs in Itaewon and Shinchon, two nightlife districts in Seoul. Nearly 300 cases were traced to the group infections. According to the KDCA, the na

Oct 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on multiple infection clusters
Politics

Top prosecutor's remarks 'inappropriate, nonsense'

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae speaks during a parliamentary inspection at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Monday, calling Yoon's previous remarks “crossing the line” and “inappropriate,” during the National Assembly audit of the ministry.The minister told lawmakers of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, “I think Yoon made a remark that crossed the line as the prosecutor general who should remain politically neutral.”Choo said she felt embarrassed as a commanding and supervising authority on the prosecution, and apologized. She criticized Yoon's remarks made during the parliamentary inspection as a “political act” and emphasized again her status as the prosecutor general's superior.During a parliamentary audit on Oct. 22, Yoon criticized Choo, saying, “The prosecutor general is not a subordinate of the justice minister.”However, Choo argued that it was legitimate, necessary, and urgent to supervise the investigation of a

Oct 26, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Top prosecutor's remarks 'inappropriate, nonsense'
Health

Comedian urges cancer patients to stop taking dog worm treatment

By Bahk Eun-jiComedian and singer Kim Chul-min, who made headlines for taking a dog deworming medicine to treat his lung cancer, appeared at a National Assembly audit session recently, urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare to help manage such alternative therapies, especially for cancer patients.Comedian and singer Kim Chul-min during his treatment for lung cancer at a hospital in this Aug. 25 photo. Korea Times file“Because cancer patients are easily misled by strange products and do not fully understand the risks, it is easy to take them personally without counseling, thinking, 'If someone else gets better, I'll get better,'” Kim said. “I hope there are doctors who specialize in counseling for such things.” Kim participated in the audit session through recorded video for his health reasons.Earlier, Kim drew attention when he said he was improving, with inflammation levels falling after taking fenbendazole, a drug used by veterinarians to protect against gastrointestinal parasites in dogs, cats, horses and cattle. He is now battling fourth-stage lung canc

Oct 25, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Comedian urges cancer patients to stop taking dog worm treatment
Health

Gov't urges vulnerable to get flu shot, despite lingering risks

A man receives a seasonal flu shot at a hospital in Seoul, Friday. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiHealth authorities are continuing to urge children, senior citizens and other vulnerable people to get vaccinated for influenza, even though 48 people have died after receiving the flu shot. Health authorities say there are no direct causalities between the deaths and vaccinations.“In Korea, about 3,000 people die every year from the flu and its complications,” Jung Eun-kyeong, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said during a regular briefing at the government complex in Sejong. Jung stressed that about 1,500 people aged 65 and over died within a week after being vaccinated during last year's free flu vaccination program.Introducing last year's statistics, the commissioner said, “The seasonal flu is also a serious infectious disease just as COVID-19 infection is. Regardless of whether the cause of death is linked to vaccination, the statistics are about the number of deaths after vaccination.”She added, “It can be seen as the numb

Oct 25, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gov't urges vulnerable to get flu shot, despite lingering risks
Health

KU Anam Hospital's new medical center to offer convergence service

An aerial view shows Korea University Anam Hospital's building built on the university's campus in Seoul. With the completion of part of the new building, the hospital will start to treat patients. Courtesy of Korea University Anam HospitalBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea University (KU) Anam Hospital has made a new leap forward with the completion of part of its new building, and started to treat patients there. Back in 2017 when Korea University Medicine announced its plan to open the new hospital branch, it set the goal of providing the best medical services with state-of-the-art infrastructure to become a test bed for convergence research ahead of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.“Under the long-term plan, we will institute advanced digital technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, at all affiliated hospitals, including the Convergence Medical Center being built on KU's Anam campus, and the Advanced Outpatient Care Center to be built on campuses in Guro and Ansan,” said Park Jong-hoon, president of KU Anam Hospital. “We hope the KU-affiliate

Oct 25, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
KU Anam Hospital's new medical center to offer convergence service
Health

Fears over flu vaccine spread amid more deaths

Jeong Eun-kyeong, chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, answers questions over concerns about the safety of seasonal flu shots during a National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee audit of the agency, Thursday. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiPublic fear is escalating over the safety of the seasonal flu vaccination after a series of deaths among people who had recently received the vaccination, although the health authorities have said there was no connection.As of 4 p.m., Thursday, the number of deaths nationwide of people who had been vaccinated against the seasonal influenza increased to 25, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). An increasing number of elderly people here are expressing concerns over the vaccination as most cases were in this age group, although the KDCA repeated that the deaths were not associated with the flu shots.In addition to the death of a man in his 70s who received the flu vaccine in Incheon, we

Oct 22, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Fears over flu vaccine spread amid more deaths
  • Prime minister orders probe into deaths after vaccination
Politics

Prosecutor refutes justice minister's claim about Lime fund probe

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl speaks during a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Prosecutors Office at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-sik, Bahk Eun-jiProsecutor Yoon Seok-youl criticized Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Thursday, refuting her claims that the prosecution had not properly investigated a private equity fund's suspected criminal lobbying activities.During the National Assembly audit of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the top prosecutor said he doesn't understand why the ministry claimed the investigation into the now-defunct Lime Asset Management was biased and half-hearted.“It is hard to understand the justice ministry's claim that I have somehow been personally involved in the ongoing investigation (into the Lime financial scandal),” Yoon told lawmakers. “Smearing is the most polite word that I can think of to describe what the ministry is doing. It is just absurd.”In particular, he raised his voice on the issue of Choo's

Oct 22, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Prosecutor refutes justice minister's claim about Lime fund probe
Health

More parents concerned about safety of flu vaccine

Medical workers prepare to give flu shots at a building of the Korea Association of Health Promotion in Seoul, Monday, as medical institutions across the country began a free vaccination program for senior citizens 70 years of age or older. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiAn increasing number of parents here are expressing concerns over the death of a 17-year-old high school student in Incheon two days after receiving the seasonal flu vaccine. The quality of the flu vaccine, which needs to be refrigerated, has already been in question after several shipments were discovered to have been stored at room temperature. Additionally, white particles were found last week in vaccine samples at a public health center in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province. Consequently, many parents have already been reluctant to let their children get the flu shot. Although the cause of the teen's death has yet to be determined, the flu vaccine project may be halted once again this year if the cause of death is found to be related to the vaccine. Concerns remain over the flu season coinciding with another wave of COVID

Oct 20, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
More parents concerned about safety of flu vaccine
  • Woman found dead after getting flu vaccine shot
World

IMF: Nearly all Mideast economies hit by pandemic recession

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed nearly all Mideast nations into the throes of an economic recession this year, yet some rebound is expected as all but two _ Lebanon and Oman _ are expected to see some level of economic growth next year, according to a report published Monday by the International Monetary Fund. This comes as the IMF estimates that the global economy will shrink 4.4 percent this year, marking the worst annual plunge since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Jihad Azour, the IMF's director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department reacts during his press conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in this Nov.13, 2018 file photo. AP-YonhapWell before the coronavirus swept across the globe, several Mideast countries had been struggling with issues ranging from lower oil prices and sluggish economic growth to corruption and high unemployment.The IMF projects the Lebanese economy will see one of the region's sharpest economic contractions this year at 25 percent. The pandemic has only pushed the country further to the brink after a wave of anti-government anger befo

Oct 19, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
IMF: Nearly all Mideast economies hit by pandemic recession
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