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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

Medical interns, residents to go on strike again

Korea Medical Association members gather in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 14 to protest against the government's medical reform plan. / YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiInterns and residents working at hospitals across the country will go on strike again on Friday ― this time for an indefinite period ― to protest against the government's medical workforce reform plan, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) said Monday.The KIRA, went on a 24-hour strike on Aug. 7, and Korea Medical Association members staged a strike on Aug.14, in protest against the government's plan to expand the admission quota at medical schools and to establish a public medical school. The third collective action is scheduled to be carried out sequentially from Friday to Sunday in accordance with the year of their graduation. Medical training in Korea takes five years, comprising of one year of internship and four years of residency. Starting with the suspension of work by fourth-year residents on Friday, third-year students will follow on Saturday, and first- and second-year members plan to go on strike on Sunday. A

Aug 17, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Medical interns, residents to go on strike again
Health

South Korea fears nationwide surge in coronavirus cases

Quarantine officials carry out disinfection against the novel coronavirus around the Sarang Jeil Church building in Seongbuk-gu, northeastern Seoul, Sunday. YonhapGov't, Seoul City to file complaints against conservative pastor JunBy Bahk Eun-jiThe Ministry of Health and Welfare said Sunday it plans to file a complaint against Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, a conservative pastor who led mass demonstration in downtown Seoul, Saturday, for allegedly obstructing the government's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.The government's move came as dozens of people who have been infected with the virus were believed to have been connected to Jun's church, Sarang Jeil Church. On Saturday, more than 10,000 people participated in an anti-government demonstration in Gwanghwamun Square, which was led by far-right and Christian groups, including Jun's church, despite the city government banning mass gatherings over coronavirus concerns. The health ministry's move came three hours after President Moon Jae-in warned of strict responses to such unlawful acts by some church members who have hampered the c

Aug 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
South Korea fears nationwide surge in coronavirus cases
  • People in greater Seoul advised not to travel to other areas for 2 weeks
  • Moon warns of stern responses to church members' illegal acts against anti-virus efforts
  • Ballparks off limits again as infections surge
Health

State-run healthcare struggling under Moon administration

By Bahk Eun-jiThe prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is causing an unexpectedly large health insurance deficit this year. Critics were quick to blame the deficit on President Moon Jae-in's policy, dubbed “Mooncare,” which plans to expand the coverage of the state-run health insurance to 70 percent by 2023, and warned of its failure. But experts and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) view it's too early to worry.According to data from NHIS, the health insurance deficit reached 943.5 billion won in the first half of the year, up 548.9 billion won from a year earlier, as the country has suffered from financial difficulties due to the unprecedented pandemic.The deficit marked the third year in a row that the health insurance balance has been in the red. In 2019 the current account deficit stood at 3.2 trillion won and in 2018 it was at 177.8 billion won after running a surplus for seven straight years. The administration vowed to continue expanding NHIS coverage, especially for those in the low-income brackets, children and elderly, but Mooncare is facing strong protest fr

Aug 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
State-run healthcare struggling under Moon administration
Health

'Dog dewormer is not a cure all': experts warn of cancer treatment myth

By Bahk Eun-jiThe buying up of cheap dog deworming medicine has been continuing despite strong warnings by doctors and the government regarding potential side-effects of taking it as an anticancer drug.Following the controversy over the claimed anticancer effects of fenbendazole, a drug used by veterinarians to protect against gastrointestinal parasites in dogs, cats, horses and cattle, after an online video claimed that the medicine could cure cancer went viral last year, another rumor about albendazole, which has a similar chemical structure to fenbendazole has spread online with similar claims that it can be used as a treatment for allergic rhinitis.In early April, pharmacists here warned the public against taking Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug which had been rumored to be effective in treating COVID-19. Various media outlets reported on Ivermectin's possible use as a COVID-19 treatment after reading a collaborative study on the drug led by the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. The Korean Pharmaceutical Association (KPA) said however, it has no

Aug 16, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
'Dog dewormer is not a cure all': experts warn of cancer treatment myth
Health

Why do doctors oppose raising medical student quota?

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Moon Jae-in administration has been at odds with doctors over its healthcare reform bills that will increase the number of medical students admitted to universities and establish a state-funded medical school.The government said July 23 that it wants to produce more doctors to broaden the reach of public health care services as the necessity for this was confirmed with the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as the plan was made public, however, doctors' groups were up in arms immediately, vowing to go on strike.The Korea Medical Association (KMA), the nation's largest union for doctors, and the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) announced plans to stage an all-out strike Aug. 14 to protest the reform. According to the Korea Intern Resident Association (KIRA), a group that represents interns and resident doctors here, nearly 95 percent of the group's 16,000 members are expected to join the strike. In response, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo urged the medical community to call off the planned strike and proposed dialogue to resolve the issue.Althou

Aug 11, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Why do doctors oppose raising medical student quota?
  • Trainee doctors likely to join practitioners' strike in protest over medical workforce reform
  • Doctors go on strike to protest medical reform plan
Society

Downpour hit southern region, expected to hit Seoul, Gyeonggi again

Chickens are set loose at a farm in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, Friday, after it was damaged following heavy rain in the region. YonhapGov't declares special crisis zone for 7 cities, counties in central regionBy Bahk Eun-jiThe unusual heavy rainfall being experienced nationwide led to flooded roads and streets in southern regions Friday, but will return to hit central parts of the country from early Saturday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Torrential rain was concentrated on the southeastern city of Daegu, as well as Gyeogsang and North Jeolla provinces from early Friday ― Jinan, in the latter, saw 215 mm of rain. More than 100 to 300 millimeters of rain is expected through Saturday in southern Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, Yeongseo, Chungcheong, and North Jeolla and North Gyeongsang provinces, the KMA said. Seoul and northern Gyeonggi, Gangwon, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces are expected to have 50 to 100 millimeters. The central region has already been hit hard by the downpour which covered the upper part of the peninsula l

Aug 7, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Downpour hit southern region, expected to hit Seoul, Gyeonggi again
Health

No major service disruptions reported during doctors' strike

Severance Hospital in Shinchon, Seoul, bustles with visitors Friday despite resident doctors and interns going on strike earlier in the day to demand the government scrap its plan to increase the number of students at medical schools. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiNo major service disruptions were reported at Korea's hospitals Friday after doctors and interns went on a 24-hour strike to protest a government plan to raise admission quotas at medical schools.The action was expected to affect patients in intensive care units and emergency rooms where most of the doctors in training work. The strike will last until 7 a.m. Saturday.At Seoul National University Hospital, a patient waiting area was busier than usual, but it didn't create a major delay. “Although a '10-minute delay in counseling' appeared on a notice board announcing the expected waiting time, it is not that unusual a situation,” an SNUH official told Yonhap News Agency.One patient waiting for treatment said: “I don't worry about the strike because the professor who is in charge of my treatment is working today anywa

Aug 7, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
No major service disruptions reported during doctors' strike
Society

Epidemiologists raise concerns over gov't's CSAT plan

Students take a practice university entrance exam in this July 8 photo. Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiEpidemiologists raised concerns Wednesday over the government's safety measures against COVID-19 for the national university entrance exam on Dec. 3, calling them “inadequate” and “ill-prepared.”On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education announced the plan for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), Tuesday, including safety measures for the test which nearly 480,000 students will take amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the safety measures were jointly made with the health authorities, infectious disease specialists pointed out that additional measures are needed for the sake of students' safety. They say that stronger measures should be taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among students due to the nature of the CSAT, in which hundreds of thousands of exam-takers stay in one place for more than eight hours.According to the guidelines, 1,185 test sites will be set up in accordance with quarantine protocols. The number of test-takers pe

Aug 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Health

Koreans urged to get flu vaccination to prevent double threat with COVID-19

Food and Drug Safety Minister Lee Eui-kyung, second from left, checks the production of Influenza vaccine during a visit to a pharmaceutical company in South Chungcheong Province, in this June 21 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiInfluenza and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, but some similar symptoms can make it hard for people to tell the difference between them. As the country could face a possible second wave of coronavirus infections here, the health authorities are strongly advising the public to get a vaccination for flu before the seasonal disease appears in the fall.During a regular press briefing last week, Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said the trend of this year's flu virus will be significantly different from last year, and the World Health Organization (WHO) also forecast that the flu will be more active and spread more widely this year than last.“For these reasons, the government has strongly urged the public to get vaccinated so that health professionals can easily spot COVID-19 infections,&rdquo

Aug 2, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Koreans urged to get flu vaccination to prevent double threat with COVID-19
Health

Concern grows over coronavirus spread during summer

A professional baseball game between KT Wiz and the Kia Tigers is held without spectators in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Thursday, amid stricter social distancing guidelines. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiConcern is growing over a resurgence of COVID-19 during the summer holiday season following an outbreak at a campsite in Gangwon Province, heath authorities said Friday.In particular, some point out that not only vacation spots but also baseball stadiums where only a few spectators are allowed to enter can also be hotbeds for the virus as spectators flock to certain sections, making it difficult to follow social distancing guidelines. Health authorities are staying vigilant over another wave of infections in the summer amid sustained rises in local infections and cases coming in from overseas.According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the country added 36 new cases, including 22 imported cases, Thursday, taking the nation's total caseload to 14,305. The number of daily new locally transmitted cases bounced back to a double-digit figure, after it fell to se

Jul 31, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Concern grows over coronavirus spread during summer
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